The Notched and Blunted
by TheFlagshipArkos
Summary: It is the second year at Beacon Academy for Jaune and his friends, and with it comes a whole host of new challenges and enemies to face. Dark clouds brew on the horizon as Teams RWBY, JNPR and their allies face off against fate itself. Can they prevail against odds which seem insurmountable? - A direct sequel to a previous work; 'The Sword and Spear'
1. Reunions

**"She knew she loved him when 'home' went from being a place, to a person"- E. Leventhal**

* * *

Jaune sat at his kitchen table looking intently at his glass of orange juice. It had been the same every morning since Pyrrha had been recalled to Mistral in order to feature in the new run of ads for the Pumpkin Pete's cereal conglomerate. Since she had left communications between the two had been few and far between, much to their shared dismay. His mind often wandered to her as he wondered just what she was doing and whether or not she was okay.

Yet his summer hadn't been completely devoid of contact with those whom he cared for most. Ruby had very much held to her promise of what she had dubbed 'the best summer ever'. Both the little reaper and her team had dragged him away from his family home on all manner of adventures, some being slightly more dangerous than others. Both Ren and Nora often accompanied them, much to the blonde's delight.

Yet no matter how many mad adventures they shared in, Jaune couldn't shake his longing for the company of his partner. Having spent so long living, studying and fighting beside her, her absence had left a gaping hole in his life. One which he knew would only be filled once he returned to Beacon to begin studying for their second year; a return which he was due to make the following day.

Draining his glass, he made to stand but was knocked back into his seat as his youngest sister Marron came dashing into the room. In all the years he had spent around the tiny girl, it had always escaped his comprehension as to just how she managed to be so energetic so early in the morning. He blamed her youth and excitable nature, but remained sure that it likely had something to do with her aura or semblance.

' _Who knows, maybe she's solar powered'_ He mused, chuckling to himself at the thought.

"Good morning Jauney!" She chirped cheerily, pouring herself a mountain of cereal and settling into one of the chairs set around the table.

"Hey little one, you sleep well?" He asked just as cheerily, giving her the best grin he could muster so early in the morning.

"Yeah! I had this dream where I was a huntress just like Pyrrha! I saved the whole world from flying monkey Grimm and was made queen of the world." She explained, recounting her dream with great enthusiasm and wild hand gestures. Jaune listened intently, and fought to ignore the pang of loneliness at the mention of his girlfriend. Climbing to his feet for the second time, he poured another glass of juice and ruffled her hair.

"Who knows, maybe you were dreaming the future?" He replied playfully "Just make sure that when you're queen of the world that you don't forget your older brother eh?"

"Course not! You're gonna be there right with me! So will all the family and we will live in total luxury, with everything we could ever want!" She explained, waving her spoon around like a sword and inadvertently flinging droplets of milk everywhere.

"Well, count me in." He laughed and drank his juice. Washing his glass out, he left his sister to eat her breakfast and headed outside. The autumn air was brisk; a sign that summer was well and truly on its way out for the year. It was a fact that Jaune both lamented and celebrated. While summer had been great fun and had marked his passing into the second year of his studies at Beacon academy, its resignation to autumn's authority meant that his return to Beacon was that much closer. Taking a deep breath and flinching at autumn's chill, he stepped off and headed into the town to run his errands for the day.

* * *

Pyrrha sat with her head in her hands and heaved what must have been the hundredth sigh in the three hours that she had been trapped in that room. Three men stood in front of her pitching what must have been the fiftieth advert in their accursed campaign. To the champion, it seemed as though every single one had blurred into a single nightmare without an end. Every couple of days she was being plied with concept after concept by an army of businessmen and corporate representatives. It was driving her mad.

As the men before her droned on about sales figures and demographics, she allowed her mind wander and take her away to her happy place. In mere moments, she could see Jaune in her mind's eye. Every detail was precise and exact, from his scraggly blonde hair to his piercing blue eyes. He was sat on the soft grasses beneath their willow tree in the Beacon gardens. It was their tree; under which they had shared their first date and ultimately their first kiss.

She lamented that this was the only way she had been able to see her boyfriend for the majority of the summer break. The invites had always come through to her scroll from team RWBY but her contracts with the advertising companies had her bound tighter than chains, and kept her trapped in Mistral. Each day the distances between herself and her teammates had seemed only to grow.

' _Jaune had the right idea in not taking any agreements with these companies. He may be a champion, but he never let it change him or go to his head. He is still the same guy I found pinned to a tree in the forest.'_

The thought brought a smile to her face, a smile which the advertisers seemed to take as a positive reaction to their pitch. They each celebrated amongst themselves before leaving the room in a whirlwind of briefcases, papers and corporate ambitions. Left alone, Pyrrha sighed and headed through to her room. The house calls from advertisers hadn't been an idea which she had approved of, yet her manager told her it was a necessary evil.

Once in her room she closed the door and locked the world out. Collapsing on her bed she buried her face in a pillow for a long moment, fed up with the day and just wanting it to end. Opening her bedside drawer, she retrieved the jeweller's box from within and opened it. Within was the emerald necklace that Jaune had bought for her. She gently brushed a finger against the gems set within it, allowing herself to be swept off to days past and the romance of her past year at Beacon academy. Her heart soared at the prospect of returning to her studies there, so as to once again be among her team and her friends. Yet at the forefront of her mind was the fact that she would soon be back in Jaune's arms again and feel the familiar warmth which she had been craving so much.

* * *

The following day dawned just as every other day had before it. Yet for Jaune this was unlike all of the others, this was the day he finally returned home; the day that he could finally walk the halls of Beacon academy once again. Excitement put a renewed spring in his step, rejuvenating him and reaffirming the smile on his face. So far as he could tell, nothing would be able to dampen his mood.

He sat at breakfast, lost in his own world and immune to the jokes and japes of his sisters. He finished and washed up as quickly as he could before darting upstairs again to double check all of his bags. It wouldn't do to forget anything this time around. It was a new year, and a new chance to reinvent himself after the mistakes of the past. He may have been the blonde goofball once, but this year he was determined to set the record straight and prove his own worth once and for all.

Before long, Marron came in to check up on him. She found her brother on his knees repacking his clothes for what must have been the tenth time. Each one was folded, rolled and packed into whatever tiny crevice remained in his bags. Crocea Mors sat leant against his luggage, pride of place, waiting to go. The tiny girl sighed and snuck up behind him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders in a vice-like grip. It had been hard enough to watch him go the last time around, and it was certainly no easier now.

"Hey, Marron! Not so tight." He gasped, fighting to loosen her hold.

"But… I'll miss you. I wanted to get all the hugs I'm going to miss, before you go." She replied, her voice sounded slightly strained. Spinning her round, he sat her next to him and promptly enveloped her in his arms.

"I'm not going anywhere just yet. We still have loads of time before I have to go. Don't be sad." He smiled. Her response was simply to bury her head in his chest, gripping the cloth of his hoodie ever tighter in her tiny fists.

"What's say we go on one last quick adventure before I have to leave?" He asked, pulling away a little. He was surprised to find a tear rolling down her cheek but was relieved when she nodded her agreement. Wiping the tear away with a thumb, the blonde climbed to his feet and offered her his hand. Marron seized it eagerly as the two set off to explore the town one last time.

* * *

Pyrrha looked at her luggage; it had been ready to go for a number of weeks now. In truth, she hadn't ever really unpacked. She preferred to keep it ready; hoping against hope that the advertisers would release her and she would be free to visit Jaune, Ren or Nora. With a sigh she realised how foolish such a hope had been. Her contract stipulated that she was not to be bothered while studying at Beacon, so the parasites had stockpiled ideas throughout the year and thrown them all at her over the course of the summer. It had been a nightmare with seemingly no end. But all that had changed. She was due to return to her sanctuary, breaking free of their grasp for another year at least.

Running through her mental checklist, she recounted all of the things she had packed another two times until she was absolutely satisfied. Once contented that nothing essential would be left behind, she settled on her bed and began changing into her armour. Not the flawless imitation they had her wear for the commercials, this was the real thing. Scarred by combat and forged in battle, it made her feel somehow safer. Gathering up her equipment, she set to cleaning and polishing her weapons, anything which would help count down the remaining hours until she could board her flight and leave this place far, far behind.

* * *

Magenta eyes watched in amusement at the scene before him. It was chaos of the highest order. Clothes lay strewn around in a wide radius around a blur of motion. Nora stood over her bags, working overtime to stuff every garment she owned and all of what she deemed to be 'essentials' into her cases. It was bedlam, with not a fold to be seen. All the while Nora chatted away animatedly to herself.

It was always the way, nothing planned or ordered and everything left to the last minute. It often hurt Ren to watch his hyperactive partner pack, but he forced himself to endure it. Often he was there on hand to pass her some item that she had forgotten, or to ensure that key things were packed. Once, she had nigh on forgotten Magnhild until he had handed it to her at the door. That had been the first time he had ever witnessed Nora at a loss for words; though he had not mentioned it to a single soul since.

"I think I'm done!" The Valkyrie cried, stepping back to admire her masterpiece. The bag was fully as big as she was and near to bursting at the seams. Ren chuckled and moved to stand beside her, resting a hand supportively upon her shoulder.

"Did you remember to pack Magnhild?" He asked cheerily

"Ren~ that was one time!" She whined, turning to look up at him with her big blue eyes. Her bottom lip quivered ever so slightly in a practiced move which he knew all too well. With a chuckle, he gave in and gently pressed his lips to hers. They had come a long way since the previous year, as had their relationship. It was born of a mutual love, admiration and had only grown stronger since.

"We should get going or we will be late. We don't want to miss seeing the others now, do we?" He asked at last, breaking the contact.

"No we don't! It's time for JNPR to get back together!" She laughed, hefting her bag onto her shoulders as though it were nothing. Ren gathered up his own modest luggage and followed her out of the door.

It was a modest dwelling built of natural stone set into a timber frame. A small chimney rose up at one end, though no smoke swirled from its maw. Ivy climbed its way along the walls and around the windows, carefully trimmed so as not to obstruct the views of the surrounding mountains. They had stumbled upon the ruins many years ago and had worked to make the place livable. It was a humble little house, but it was home. Giving their shared home one last temporary glance, he turned away for another year.

* * *

Jaune leapt from the airship just as soon as it touched down and stood by the side of the path doubled over and sucking down deep breaths in the hopes of stilling the raging tempest in his stomach. Every time, without fail, flying managed to reduce him to a quivering wreck of nausea. He could have grown to be the strongest hunter that Remnant had ever seen yet all he had to do was set foot in an airship to end up as weak as a new-born kitten. The notion was so bizarre that he had to laugh.

"New year, same Jaune"

The blonde gave a start at the sudden voice from behind him. Looking between his legs, he was met with an upside visage of two people whom he knew well. Immediately, he stood up and turned to face them with a wide smile on his face; before him stood both Yang and her sister.

"Yep, it's the same old me alright. I still can't fly without ending up an airsick mess. I'll get there though one day, huh?" He laughed, walking over to them.

"Whatever you say, Vomit Boy." His fellow blonde teased with a mischievous grin on her face. Before he could make his retort, he found Ruby latched onto his chest. Her arms were like bands of steel as she hugged him tightly.

"Hey Ruby, take it easy would ya? I need to breathe" he managed to gasp. Immediately, she released him and stepped back with a shy smile on her face.

"Sorry Jaune." She giggled "It's just good to see you again. It's good to be back at Beacon!"

"Yeah, it's great to see you again Ruby. Where are Weiss and Blake? Aren't they with you guys?" He asked at last, having noticed the absence of team RWBY's resident Ice Queen and faunus.

"Oh yeah! They said they would be getting here a little later on. Blake is coming from outside the kingdoms, she said something about having… 'alternative transport', whatever _that_ means. As for Weiss, she is coming with her own private jet. She said something about her dad not wanting her to fly economy class with the rest of us. What about you? Are Pyrrha, Ren and Nora not with you?" Her silver eyes darted around Jaune expectantly as though looking for his teammates.

"They're all making their own way here. Pyrrha sent me a message earlier saying she was excited to get here and see everyone but she didn't give any details. Ren told me that he and Nora managed to hitch a ride on their local village's airship."

"Aww… That sucks. I was kinda hoping we could have a proper reunion and do something fun together but it'll be ages 'til everyone gets here…" Ruby said dejectedly, kicking a small pebble with the tip of her boot.

"Easy there Rubes." Yang laughed and ruffled her sister's hair. "There'll be plenty of time for that later. Besides, don't you think that we should give Goodwitch a chance to get settled in first? You remember what happened last time we went through with one of your 'fun' ideas. The punishment laps nearly killed Weiss!"

Jaune remembered and so did most of the school. It had taken weeks for the students caught in the crossfire to recover. All from one of team RWBY's pillow fights that got severely out of hand. It had taken all of team JNPR as well as numerous threats to pancake privileges in order to stop Nora from heading over to join in. The fallout from the battle still put shivers down Jaune's spine. Goodwitch had arrived with an expression like thunder that soon put a complete end to the fight. JNPR had caught a brief glance of team RWBY as they ran laps of the school from dawn until dusk in recompense for their actions; all under the unflinching gaze of Goodwitch herself.

"I think Yang might be right." He said with some amusement "I'm sure the others will be super tired when they get here anyway, and you know Weiss will have like ten cases to unpack. We can hang out and catch up after everyone has settled back in. Speaking of settling in, we should collect our stuff and get to the dorms."

With that said the three of them headed towards baggage reclaim with smiles on their faces. Conversation flowed easily between them as they each shared anecdotes from their respective summers. As the blonde laughed, once again in the company of his closest friends, the future looked bright.

' _It's going to be a great year.'_

* * *

Pyrrha stepped off of the airship with a tired expression in her eyes. The trip had been a nightmare in every sense of the word. Her PR team had insisted on clinging onto her until the very last second, pestering her with questions about Beacon and the upcoming competitive season. Even after she had boarded her flight and taken off, she found no sanctuary. Three individuals approached for her autograph, ordinarily she wouldn't have minded but after the experiences over the summer, her patience had worn thin. She begrudgingly signed the items they thrust at her before moving into a free compartment and pulling the blinds.

The remainder of her journey passed in relative peace and comfort. The closed blinds had the desired effect in deterring any would-be travel companions from seeking to join her. After so long in the eyes of journalists and advertising teams, the silence of her compartment proved somewhat unsettling. Over the course of her summer, she had all but forgotten the sound of silence and the relative calm which accompanied it. With a warm smile on her face she settled into her seat and sighed. Closing her eyes she allowed the warmth of the airship to lull her into a peaceful sleep for the first time in months.

She was awoken sometime later by a hand gently shaking her awake. Thinking it was only another fan who had stumbled upon her, she blearily opened her eyes fully prepared to scold them. But she wasn't met with the sight she expected. Beside her stood one of the airship's hosting staff. She was a middle aged woman with an easy smile on her lips and a sleepy look to her eyes. Her hair had begun to escape from its pristine bun and now stood out at odd angles in various wisps.

"Excuse me Miss, I'm sorry to wake you but we have just touched down at Beacon. Everyone is disembarking." Her voice was warm and kind but also bespoke of the lengthy shift she had just completed.

It took a few moments for what the hostess had said to sink in. In shock, Pyrrha looked out the window to confirm the story only to find that the sun had set. The shattered moon was up and surrounded by the thousands of its celestial followers, each shining as brilliantly as the last. Set before the backdrop of Vale's night sky stood Beacon tower in all its glory, it bathed the campus in emerald brilliance and filled the champion's heart with calm. The nightmare had ended and the journey was finished. She was home.

Thanking the hostess with a smile, she climbed to her feet and gathered up her things. As she stepped out of the airship and onto the landing platform, she was hit by the chill of Vale's night air. She savoured it with a satisfied sigh even as goose prickles covered her bare arms. She drew in a deep breath and chuckled as the cold sensation burned within her chest. Shouldering her luggage, she set off at a brisk walk towards her team's dorm. The campus was darkened as she walked, so no one saw her practically skip her way through the courtyards and between the numerous colonnades.

Her feet padded softly against the carpeted floors of the residential blocks as step by step she drew closer to her dorm. With each step her anticipation grew more and more. This was, after all, exactly what she had been looking forward and counting down to for the past months. The closer she got however, the more peculiar noises that she could hear. Given the time, she had been expecting the whole campus to have been long asleep. A smile crossed her face as she considered the prospect of her team having waited up to welcome her home.

As she reached the door to her dorm, a number of loud crashes and thuds came from beyond. Quirking an eyebrow, she swiped her key and swung the door inwards. No sooner than she had stepped into the room was she struck in the face and sent flying into the opposite wall with the accompanying cry of;

"Yang, no!"

Pyrrha sat slumped against the wall with a feather pillow in her lap, dazed and confused. Shaking her head clear again and waiting for the room to stop spinning, she climbed to her feet and moved more cautiously towards the dorm room door. What she saw had her stopped dead in shock; the whole place was a mess. The beds had been upturned to make a rudimentary barricade, dividing the room into two relatively even sides. On one, the desks and chairs had been rearranged to form a crude piece of cover behind which the three members of her team were hiding.

Nora had a pillow in each hand and a malicious grin on her face. Ren sat beside her, watching with a bemused expression as the Valkyrie sent her weapons sailing across the room at lightning speed. Next to them, in his boxer shorts and a pumpkin Pete's t-shirt sat Jaune. He had his knees drawn up tightly against his chest and a look of horror upon his face. His eyes were clamped shut as pillows flew past them left and right.

Across the other side of the room, behind the somewhat more sturdy bed barricade were team RWBY. Yang's eyes burned crimson as she cocked back an arm and sent pillows flying back with a level of aggression to rival Nora's. Weiss was crouched with a frightening degree of composure as she casually handed pillow after pillow to the blonde brawler beside her. Ruby was peeking over the barricades with morbid curiosity, watching the pillows sail back and forth. Behind the three of them who were actively fighting sat Blake. The faunus seemed to have no interest in the events and was sat quietly with a book in hand, her amber eyes scanning each page with the kind of practiced ease born only of years spent buried in books.

As more and more eyes became aware of Pyrrha's presence, the fire of their fight seemed to die out. The two teams emerged from their trenches and crossed no man's land to her side. Ruby was the first, flying in at lightning speed for a hug which near enough took Pyrrha off of her feet once again. After Ruby finally released her, she was followed by Nora, Weiss, Ren, Yang and Blake in quick succession; each greeting her in turn. Pyrrha's emerald eyes locked onto Jaune through the crowd as person by person she managed to move ever closer towards him.

Weiss seemed to notice the champion's ultimate goal and moved hastily to usher her team out of the room with a surprising degree of force for one so small in stature. Ren soon followed suit, taking Nora by the hand and leading her out with the promise of midnight pancakes. Pyrrha shot him a grateful smile as the two left, closing the door behind them and leaving the two champions alone together.

An awkward silence settled over the two of them as neither moved nor said so much as a word. An unsettling feeling began to grow in her stomach as she feared that the blonde might hold some resentment for her over her lack of appearances throughout the summer. But he had known of her commitments, surely he couldn't be holding anything against her over it? Yet before the panic had chance to truly settle in, she felt his arms close around her. They enveloped her in his embrace, even as he buried his face in her neck. Instinctively she wrapped him in her own embrace, savouring the touch that she had so long been deprived of. When his words came they were short and awkward;

"I missed you…"

Yet despite the simplicity of his statement, each word held more meaning than any other could have done. Tears filled the corners of her eyes and threatened to flow freely, even as laughter left her lips. It was all so much to handle, more so than she might have ever imagined it being after so long kept away from him. Her heart swelled within her chest and felt fit to burst. Pulling away from his embrace, she locked eyes with him, emerald with cobalt. For a long moment she held his gaze before at last, she cupped his cheeks and brought their lips crashing together in an act of overwhelming desire.

As they kissed she fought to keep from grinning, it felt as though her whole body were alive with electricity. After so long apart, the spark of their relationship was just as strong as ever. Their kiss seemed to last an eternity and yet when at last they broke apart, it still felt as though it was over too soon. Resting her head on his shoulder she took a deep breath, savouring his scent and sighed happily. This was where she truly belonged. Here in his arms, that was her home and nowhere else could compare.

"I missed you too…"

* * *

 **There it is, the long awaited and even longer delayed sequel to "The Sword and Spear". First of all I would like to thank you for your patience in me and this piece, I know that it has been a very long time since I provided you all with something new. Secondly I want to say that the updates for this story will not be scheduled weekly because I simply cant manage that kind of commitment on top of work and university assignments so please do be patient, I will be posting them when I am content that they are ready.**

 **As a final point I want to point out that I may well turn my hand to writing a little for the Fairy Tail fandom too, though that will likely just start off as a series of short one shots or AU concepts that I have floating around in my mind.**

 **Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. The next one is written up and just in need of proofing so it will likely follow shortly. Thank you all for reading and as always;I will see you all in the next chapter.**

 **TheFlagShipArkos**


	2. Decisions

' **When You Feel Like Quitting, Think About Why You Started' - Anonymous**

* * *

Jaune groaned as the curtains were torn back and light poured into his team's dorm room. Meekly, he tried to bring the covers up to cover his head. He had only been at Beacon for less than a day and already he was beginning to miss home, his own bed and being able to wake up whenever he chose to. That wasn't the case when living with Ren though. The martial artist was a real stickler for timing and had long since taken it upon himself to wake his team before classes, often with a plate of pancakes waiting. Truly, he gave new meaning to the phrase 'early bird'.

With a Yawn, Jaune stretched out and took stock of his surroundings. Nora was at the far side of the room in front of a full length mirror, locked in what can only be described as mortal combat with her uniform's necktie. In all of their time at Beacon academy, she had never fully grasped how to tie it for herself. Every morning would be the same; she would wolf down her breakfast and begin the battle. The fight would last right up until the last possible moment before Ren would make his way over and quickly sweep it into shape with deft hands. This morning was seemingly no different.

To his left, Jaune found Pyrrha still enveloped in the total peace of sleep. Her head was resting on his chest and a few locks of her hair had swept across her face in the night. He looked at her for a long moment, admiring the look on her face and sweeping her hair behind her ear in a well-rehearsed motion. She moaned softly as her eyes crept lazily open. Brilliant emerald looked around the room with a kind of confusion only the newly woken can experience; eventually coming to settle on him.

"Good morning~" He said with a smile, his hand rising to tenderly caress her cheek. "Looks like you slept well."

"Mhm, the best sleep I've had since the start of the holidays." She replied with a nod, shooting him a smile of her own.

Lifting herself up, she shuffled in closer and placed a quick kiss on the blonde's lips before climbing from their shared bed. As she went she took the warmth with her, leaving a shiver to make its way up Jaune's spine. His cobalt eyes watched her go, cursing the school for timetabling classes and preventing them from being able to spend a whole day curled up under the blankets together. He lay there looking up at the ceiling for a minute or two before climbing out of bed to join the others in getting ready for classes.

Things seemed to get better once he had started his day off in earnest. Ren's pancakes were rich and drizzled in syrup, just the way he liked them. The shower was hypnotic and left him feeling ready to tackle anything. Even the feeling of his uniform against his skin sent tingles down his spine. The academy had issued them all with a new set, freshly laundered and pressed to such a point that the creases themselves were sharper than half the weapons in the school itself. Indeed, everything was nigh on perfect, just when he thought it couldn't get any better he took a look at his timetable and was met with something entirely new; 'Freelance Hunting'.

With a quizzical expression on his face, Jaune showed it to his teammates. Before long each and every one of them bore an expression that wasn't dissimilar to his as they each tried to fathom just what this new class could entail. Grabbing the last of their effects both he and his team left the dorm and set off down the hallway towards the specified lecture theatre. Along the way they encountered a similarly confused team RWBY, all of whom were debating the possibilities of just what this new class could be holding in store for them.

"Well… You know what Professor Ozpin is like. He has always been keen to embrace the… eccentric when it comes to the academy. I mean he launched us all off of a cliff, on our _first day_." Weiss said in a matter of fact voice, her hands making vague gestures as she spoke.

"Let's just hope he doesn't do something similar this year. I still have nightmares about initiation…" Jaune answered meekly, a sense of dread growing in the pit of his stomach as they entered the lecture hall. Looking around he saw all of the familiar faces from the previous year; every single one of them with the same puzzled look as she furtively whispered to one another, trying to fathom just what madness Ozpin had planned for them.

As the eight of them took their seats, hush fell across the room. Goodwitch strolled out to the centre of the lecturer's pit at the front of the class, her heels click-clacking as she walked and echoing around the room ominously. The professor was much as Jaune remembered her being, a stern expression affixed across her features. Yet something was different, when she frowned at them, it seemed a slightly more hollow gesture than it had been and never reached her eyes.

"Welcome back students, I trust that you all had a relaxing summer break and have recharged your batteries ready for the New Year. No matter what it was that you all got up to over the holidays I trust that you all kept your skills sharp and your wits sharper because this year will prove quite the step up from the last, I assure you." She spoke plainly, but the edge was gone from her voice. Jaune found himself wondering just what the professor had gotten up to over the summer to make her so different, though his questions were soon answered.

"This year will prove to be a very different experience from your last. No-longer shall I be chasing you around and breaking up fights. As far as we are concerned, you are adults, each and every one of you. You shall be responsible for yourselves, just as you would be if you were professional huntsmen and huntresses out in the service of the kingdoms. As such we grant you a little more freedom this year, and I shall not be quite so harsh in my disciplinary role. Whereas last year you were encouraged to follow instructions to the letter while we taught you the basics, this year you shall be encouraged to show your initiative and adapt to the situation."

A murmur ran through the class as the students came to terms with what was being said, none of them quite sure what to make of these new developments.

"That is _not_ to say that you do not need to complete the assignments set to you, or that you have our permissions to skip your classes. You shall be expected to hold yourselves to the highest academic standards, just as you were last year." She gave several members of the class warning glares for a long moment before continuing. "Now that the formal business is out of the way, Professor Ozpin will explain just why it is you are all here."

With that, she stepped aside and took a seat at the side of the stage. They heard Ozpin long before they saw him, the tap of his cane and the slight shuffle of his footsteps. He came into view and took slow, yet deliberate steps to stand at centre stage.

"Thank you Glynda." He said finally, giving her a slight nod. "I'm sure that all of you are wondering just why you are here and what it is that your new classes may mean. All shall be explained in due course I assure you. The role of the huntsmen and huntresses of this world is twofold. We both aid the people where possible and fight to keep their families and homes safe from the less savoury characters of the world. This does not solely refer to the creatures of Grimm. This can mean that besides those monsters, you may be fighting bandits, outlaws and potentially the white fang should the need arise. Those are people, just like you. Take a moment to allow that to sink in."

He took a brief pause, his eyes passing from person to person, boring into them as the realisation of what he was saying began to sink in.

"That is right, in some cases you shall be sent out to fight against your own kind. Make no mistakes, those bouts will not be like the sparring matches that you are used to, nor will they simply stop once your Aura begins to run out. They will fight you with all they have and in some cases; they will do their best to take your life and those of the team around you. Before this year begins in earnest I advise each and every one of you to carefully think on just what that may mean and whether or not you still wish to continue on with your training." His face was a mask as he uttered those final words, every syllable tumbling from his lips like a hammer blow. For some time the room was deathly silent, the students hardly daring to breathe.

"Now." He continued "You are likely quite confused about what this class truly is. Well allow me to explain; for the last year, you have all engaged in the study of the associated theory to huntsman and huntress work. You have been taught the weak-points and risks associated with the numerous species of Grimm in the world, as well as the histories of just how the order of huntsmen and huntresses came about. This is important knowledge to have, but knowledge must be matched to experience and _that_ is what this class is about. As the title suggests, you shall be required this year to perform freelance tasks as hunters. Every other week, you shall be required to undertake assignments out in the world to further hone your abilities. You may wish to take one long assignment that will last the week or any number of smaller and simpler jobs. At the end of the year you shall be graded based upon the difficulty and number of the assignments that you undertake. You shall also be assessed on the professional quality of the work you exhibit. Some of you may wish to work with teams with whom you work well…"

At this he turned his gaze up to teams JNPR and RWBY. To Jaune it felt as though the wizened old man's eyes settled on him for the longest time. It felt as though he were being examined for any signs of weakness before the professor left him be; passing on to assess each of his friends in turn.

"…And some of you may wish to work solely with your team on these assignments. At the end of each freelance week, you shall be expected to submit a report on the assignment or assignments that you have completed. In the remaining weeks you shall continue with more advanced academic studies which may in turn help guide your actions on the assignments that you undertake. As this is the first freelance week we shall adopt a lax attitude to whether or not you complete your assignments, pending your decisions to continue on with your studies or not, for those of you who are certain you may find the jobs listings in this room at this time next week. That is all, you are dismissed."

As the final echoes of his voice died out around the hall, Ozpin turned and left the lecture theatre with Goodwitch following closely behind him. The students remained seated for a long while as silence ruled the room before, one by one, they rose and left. Some went with their teams, others as lone individuals; but if one thing was uniform, it was the heavy expressions on their faces. One thing remained certain; their second year at Beacon academy wouldn't be easy.

* * *

Jaune sighed and leant his head back against the gnarled bark of the tree he was sat under. Looking up at its canopy he admired the sun's light shining through the leaves and bathing him in a comforting emerald light. How long he had been there he couldn't have said, little had sunk in since their introductory lecture; little save for Ozpin's words that was. He had tussled with them over and over, trying to decide for himself whether it would have been a wise move to continue on or simply concede defeat.

He knew what the others would think of these questions; in fact he could practically hear Pyrrha's counter argument in his head. This wasn't a cut and dry decision though. If he were to continue on it would mean putting his life on the line every two weeks and that was nothing to sniff at. It was all very well signing up for Beacon's training program on paper, at the time he had known the related risks of course, but it had been so easy to dismiss them as being a part of the distant future. To now find himself faced with the very real threat of injury and death in what was his immediate future had unnerved him a great deal.

Not only that, but knowing that it was likely that he would be engaged in a life or death struggle with people had hit him harder than expected. With the Grimm it was a simple decision, they were mindless monsters who were drawn to negativity and killed without thought, feeling or mercy. They had no history nor future to worry about, no families that would miss them. With people it was a whole other ball game.

Another sigh escaped his lips as he took pause, his cobalt eyes locking on a small birds nest tucked in the branches over his head. He watched it for a moment, looking for any signs of motion which might have indicated that it was still being occupied by its builders though none presented themselves. Giving up his visual search, he closed his eyes and was once again enveloped by his thoughts.

Of course he knew what his team would say; that they were a team and would look out for each other, that their strength wasn't on an individual level but rather when they all came together as a team or that no matter the challenge or moral quandary that they would all face it together as one. Truly he wanted to believe those arguments with all of his heart, yet a stubborn part of him disagreed. Jaune had come a long way since the start of his first year, no one disputed that fact, but compared to everyone else he was still a world behind, and in his eyes, that made him a liability. His team might be a surreal level of strong when they were fighting as one but they were only a sum of their parts, and he felt as though his part left a great deal to be desired. He simply didn't want to put them at risk.

"I see that you didn't take Professor Ozpin's message lightly, that is good." A familiar female voice interrupted his thoughts.

Jaune opened his eyes again and was surprised to find Glynda standing over him. Just how had she managed to sneak up on him like that? Ordinarily he could have heard her heels from a mile away. Looking at her suspiciously, he soon found his answer. Her feet were bare, the signature heels hanging loosely from her hand.

"Would you mind if I joined you?" She asked, gesturing to a patch of grass at his side. The teenager considered her request for a moment before shaking his head and shuffling over to make room. She nodded gratefully and lowered herself down beside him with a surprising degree of elegance.

"Beneath this tree has always been a good place to sit and reflect." She continued after a brief pause "It was under this very tree that Ozpin and I sat all those years ago, debating the very same choice that you now face."

That drew his attention. Lifting his head, he turned to look at her, his eyes studying her face intently as she spoke. He wasn't sure why it surprised him to learn that she had once been in his shoes, after all, hunters didn't just spring out of the ground armed to the teeth and ready to fight the Grimm. Still, there was something unsettling about the idea of a young Goodwitch, something about the knowledge that she hadn't always been the fearsome disciplinarian warrior that she was today.

"He wanted to throw in the towel back then. He said that he was a liability, that he wasn't strong enough to go on for fear that his lack of strength might have put us all in danger. You see, he wasn't really the most capable fighter. But what he lacked in physical strength he made up for mentally. Ozpin was an excellent leader with a calm head in even the craziest of messes that we found ourselves. Perhaps that's why he admitted you without the official training. I think he sees something of himself in you Jaune and that is far from a bad thing. Though it is hard for me to admit, even I have to concede that you have progressed in leaps and bounds since you first came to us here. Thanks to both the efforts of your teammates and a phenomenal push on your own part, you are shaping up to become quite the fine warrior. It would be a shame to let all the blood, sweat and tears go to waste, don't you think?" As she finished speaking she fixed him with her eyes, they seemed peculiar to him, as though they could see right through him and know precisely what he was thinking. "As for the fighting of people, that is something which you must come to decide on for yourself, but if I was to offer some advice; remember why it is you wanted to be a huntsman. After all, why is it that any of us do it? Is it just for the fame and glory or is it to try and make a difference in the world, to protect those who can't protect themselves?"

"Professor, what did you do?" Jaune ventured, choosing his words carefully. "How did you convince Ozpin to stay and complete his studies?"

"Oh that?" She replied with an uncharacteristically mischievous smile creeping across her lips "Bartholomew and I waited until he went to bed, bound him hand and foot to prevent him leaving while Peter made his way into the registration hall and forged his signature. The old headmaster must have known what we were up to, but despite our rather… questionable methods he knew our intentions were for the best and so he turned a blind eye. You'd be amazed at the lengths teams will go to in order to look out for one another. I wonder what Miss Nikos and the others might do should they think that you were about to leave, hm?"

Jaune shuddered at the thought, turning to stare down at his feet. He mulled over the professor's advice for a long moment, sat in silence when he heard her move to stand again. She gathered up her shoes once more and straightened out her skirt before turning back to face him.

"Think on what I have said Jaune. There are more people than just your teammates who would be sad to see you go." Goodwitch gave him one last smile before turning away, heading back towards the campus proper and leaving Jaune only with the story she had told. The blonde remained sat there under the tree until the sun grew low in the sky and began to set. Feeling the chill of the night air setting in, he pulled himself up and returned to the dorm. His path meandered as he went, still deep in thought until at last he arrived back in from of his dorm room door. Taking a breath he stepped inside, knowing what had to be done.

* * *

What he was met with was not that which he had prepared himself for. Each of his teammates was sat on their bed with a considerable stack of luggage next to them. As he stepped into the room all three sets of eyes settled on him at once, their gaze was inescapable and set him completely on edge. They each watched him intently as though scanning for answers to their own internal lines of questioning. He quirked an eyebrow and waited expectantly for the explanation for the situation.

"We know what went through your mind Jaune." Ren began with his voice calm and level. "It was something we all thought about. We know that you were thinking of calling it quits and that's fine; that is, after all, your decision to make. But regardless of whether you chose to stay or go, we would all be coming along with you. We have all been through so much together; too much for us to let the team fall apart now. Where you go, we follow. You are our team leader and we are your team. They are as two halves of one whole; one cannot exist without the other"

Jaune looked at his teammate with a deadpan expression. Were they really going to call it quits at Beacon just so as to come with him? It all seemed like madness to him.

"It's true Jaune. We all talked it over and none of us want to go on with things here at Beacon if you aren't here with us." Pyrrha said, picking up where Ren had left off.

"Yeah!" Nora chimed in with her agreement. "So you might not be the strongest fighter ever, who cares? You are the squishy, gooey thing that holds this team together kinda like our own Jaune cement! You're the one who always has a plan no matter how weird or scary things get. Without you, where would we be?"

Jaune looked at them each in turn with tears welling up in his eyes. He knew of course that his team was fond of him but to hear it all laid bare and thrown at his feet was a more humbling experience than he could possibly have expected. To know that they truly wanted to stand by his side despite his not being the strongest or most capable of fighters drove home a feeling he had long had but never truly embraced. They weren't just his teammates, or even his friends. They were his family. Despite having been thrown together a little over a year ago, they had each fought and grown together into the strong unit they were.

"T-thank you…" He managed to say as tears rolled down his cheeks and fell to the floor below. There was so much more he wanted to say and yet when he opened his mouth to speak the words simply wouldn't come. He thought back on Goodwitch's words and realised just what it was that she had meant.

" _ **I wonder what Miss Nikos and the others might do should they think that you were about to leave, hm?"**_

A smile spread across his face as he came to see just how blind he had been. Drawing in a deep breath, he calmed the tempest of thoughts and feeling swirling around in his head and thought about it all.

"I-I can't believe that the three of you would want to give up on your lives here just for me. I've never had friends that would be willing to give up so much to stay by my side and honestly, I can't believe that I deserve it." His eyes wandered from one face to the next "Not yet. And while every part of me thinks that I should throw in the towel and give it all up, you all seem to see something better in me, something that I can't. Maybe it's time that I put my faith in you all just like you do with me, and that's why I've decided to stay. I might not be the greatest fighter that this school has ever seen and perhaps I never will be. But I don't need to be so long as you are all by my side, with you all behind me every step of the way I know that no matter what I can never fail. So I promise that no matter what crazy adventures come our way or what hardships we may face, I will never let you down, I'll never give up. We fight to make this world a better place and whether that is against Grimm, humans or faunus doesn't matter. If they are trying to hurt the innocent then they are all the same. Just like everything else, we will face it together."

"You never let us down Jaune." Pyrrha smiled, stepping up to him and gently cupping his cheek. With a thumb she swept away one of the tears making its way down his face and wrapped her arms around him. Ren followed suit, embracing the two of them with a satisfied smile adorning his face. The final one to join them was Nora, her arms encircling them in a bone crushing hug that lifted them up and off the floor. The three of them kicked limply in the air, gasping for breath until she set them down again. The moment his feet touched the ground Jaune felt his legs give way and he tumbled into a heap on the floor. Despite it all, the ache from his bones and the tears on his cheeks, he found himself laughing. The situation was only made more bizarre by Ren's offer of pancakes, an offer which was of course, eagerly accepted.

* * *

The fateful morning dawned and Jaune woke with a smile on his face. The smile never left him as he went about his morning routine, stretching out his limbs and heading through to the shower. He was determined that today would mean the start of a new era, an end to the self-doubt and a start to his having every faith in those around him. By the time their first class came around, he was inflated with a new sense of confidence and positivity, safe in the knowledge that whatever the world could throw at him, they would be ready to face it head on and side by side.

Jaune and his team took their seats in the lecture hall and looked around at the other teams arrayed around them. There were the usual suspects and a great many faces that he recognised from the previous year, yet there were also many missing, their seats remaining unfilled as their teammates sat glumly beside them. The air was still and no one spoke more than a few hushed words to those immediately around them. As Ozpin stepped into the room, the tension was palpable; no one knew exactly what to expect from the headmaster. Ozpin's eyes wandered over the faces of those assembled before him, lingering for a half instant on team JNPR's blonde leader with a subtle smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth.

"Welcome back students, I am proud to see that so many of you have chosen to stand by your chosen vocation and convictions, but so too am I equally saddened to see that so many have not returned. Yet we mustn't dwell on that, as difficult as that is, we must all keep moving forward and marching inexorably towards our end goal. The kingdoms will need you all in time, and so we shall prepare you to face those needs."

The aged professor opened his scroll and tapped on its screen several times. As he did, several holo-screens appeared at the front of the room. Each of them was a mass of text, subdivided by a series of titles. Straining his eyes Jaune could just about determine that each title represented a practical assignment, though at that distance their details eluded him.

"Much like your assignment last year, these boards will present you with a number of options for work. Each team must pick and complete one within the next fourteen days. We shall then garner some feedback from those whom you each work for and use that to angle your improvements this year. As always, I wish you all the very best of luck in your endeavours."

With that, he stepped aside where he settled his eyes on the screens, waiting expectantly to find out where his students would be headed. One by one the teams made their way to the front to choose their first assignment of the year. Some were quick in their decisions whilst others deliberated among themselves about everything from the difficulty to the mission type that they would be facing. As team JNPR edged their way forward Jaune fought for a better look at some of the boards, so as to get a better idea of what they might be faced with but between the crowd of people and the distance, his attempts were mostly fruitless.

"I don't believe that the type of mission truly matters. I'm sure we can handle whatever tasks we are set so long as we all work together." Pyrrha offered with a hint of optimism in her voice that Jaune couldn't help but admire. She always stood so strong despite any adversity which their team might be faced with.

"I think something where we could find a decent place to sleep wouldn't be so bad, something based in a village in one of the outer provinces maybe?" Ren said, shrugging his shoulders idly.

"I should think that would be a good idea. The more comfortable you are on a mission, the easier that you are like to find it." Ozpin interjected, making his way over to join them. "I am glad to see that you all decided to remain with us. It would be a terrible shame for such talent to go to waste."

As the headmaster spoke to them, a smirk played about his lips. There was a knowing look in his eyes as he looked at Jaune, yet also a sense of approval buried within it.

"Thank you Professor. My team and I are glad to be back and raring to get going this year." He replied with all of the confidence that he could muster when faced with the headmaster himself. It wouldn't do to appear weak now, not after his team had helped him fight through to even being here.

Before anyone could say anything further, their team reached the front of the queue and the screens came into full view. Jaune's cerulean eyes scanned across the boards, lamenting the number of jobs which were already marked as being taken. The only ones left to them seemed to be of a considerably more difficult nature and focus primarily on ridding an area of Grimm entirely. Looking at his teammates, they seemed to share his disappointment at the lack of options available to them.

"How about this one?" Pyrrha asked after having examined the boards in greater detail "A hunt based out of one of Vale's larger provincial towns. Says here that the town's fighters are struggling to fend off the local Grimm and the drop in morale is threatening to bring about a much larger horde. If we hurry we could be there and done within a couple of days?"

Her words settled over the team as several long minutes passed. Jaune was the first to agree, nodding with a sigh. It wasn't exactly the start to the year that he might have hoped for but he pushed any doubts to the back of his mind. Ren and Nora spoke with one another in hushed voices for a few moments before agreeing to the decision together.

With a sigh, Jaune tapped the holo-screen and entered his team's credentials, locking in their choice. It was done. Their mission was decided and their fate sealed, their second year in Beacon had officially begun. Though little did they know the hardship and loss which they would soon face.

* * *

 **So, here we are again. Another week and another chapter to add to the story. Ive been super productive in my writing lately and already have the next chapters written up. All that remains is to proof them and they will be ready for publish. However, I'm going to try and stagger them so as to keep the upload rate at a constant and make sure that you all get a fairly regular fix.**

 **Please do favourite, follow and review to let me know what you think. I love reading through all of your comments.**

 **Thats all from me for this time, Thank you all for reading and as always;**

 **I'll see you all in the next chapter.**


	3. A Mission Begins

' _ **I'm a Lover not a fighter, but I will fight for all that I love' - Unknown**_

* * *

Dozens of aircraft were circling in the skies above Beacon, queuing in the air to touch down on the illustrious academy's main landing platform. The sun was shining down brilliantly for the time of year, contested only by a few light wisps of cloud which braved the otherwise unbroken blue of the heavens. Below, the landing deck itself had come alive with hundreds of students all boarding the various craft which would bear them skyward and off on their various missions. Their excited voices rose into the air and formed a cacophonous sound, drowned out only by the sounds of the turbines straining overhead.

Despite the two week time frame that Ozpin had given them all for the completion of their first missions, many teams had decided to strike while the iron was hot and set off as soon as was possible. Thus had the scene around them come to be, and so the pilots for the transports had been working overtime to cope with what was otherwise an unprecedented demand on their time. They flew nigh on non-stop, pausing only to refuel and relieve themselves. Just how they were managing escaped Jaune, though he couldn't help but admire them for it.

Casting his eyes around, Jaune took in the scene with a sense of awe. The atmosphere was one of enthusiasm and eagerness which was infectious and settled itself in his very bones. It seemed to affect his teammates whom all had the same spark in their eyes signifying the same hunger for adventure as the students around him. Admittedly he struggled to share completely in the sentiment. Whilst yes, he was in a sense excited to go out on a real assignment with true purpose; so too was he anxious about just what would await them on the other side when they disembarked their little transport.

He remembered all too well their encounter with Ursula, the monstrous Ursa Major class Grimm that they had faced the year before. Yet he knew that were it to happen again they would be ready. Times had changed and with them, so had the members of team JNPR. They had all grown stronger both as individuals and as a team, a fact which was not lost on the blonde leader. Despite the fear niggling in the back of his mind, knowing that when he went into battle he would have his team beside him reassured him. They would be there every step of the way to shield his back even as he would be shielding theirs.

He was pulled from his thoughts by a tap on his shoulder. Pulling himself back into reality he was met with the calm emerald eyes of his partner. She smiled at him and pointed up at an approaching craft, knowing that any words would simply be drowned out in the crowd around them and the roar of the approaching aircraft's engines. Reaching down he picked up his kitbag, settling the straps down on his shoulders and adjusting them until they sat comfortably. He adjusted his sword belt, ensuring that he could reach it with ease should he need to. Contented, he ushered his team up and into the awaiting aircraft.

Before he could join them, he was stopped by a pair of arms scrabbling to wrap themselves around his torso. Looking down he found Ruby, and behind her stood her team with excitable smiles on their faces. He gave them a wave, returning their smiles with one of his best.

"Be careful okay?" Ruby called out in her shrill tones, fighting to be heard over the noise around them.

""We will, you guys be careful too! Come back safe!" Jaune replied with a nod and ruffled her hair. He quickly returned her hug before pulling away and making to board the waiting aircraft.

"Try not to lose your breakfast Vomit Boy!" Yang yelled out with her signature mischievous expression. Jaune was glad that he was facing away from her and pretended not to hear, concentrating on fighting back the colour rising to his cheeks at the mention of his old nickname.

Shooting the pilot a quick thumbs up, the engines of their craft roared out as they fought against gravity and slowly lifted team JNPR up into the air. Jaune watched out of the side door as the vehicle lurched into the sky and the ground fell away beneath them. Team RWBY stood on the platform below waving them off cheerily. Team JNPR returned the gesture before turning away to stow their kit and find their seats. Pyrrha helped Jaune with his equipment as the motion sickness began to take its toll on him. Sitting doubled over in his seat, Jaune closed his eyes and let his mind wander, focusing on literally anything that came to him as a distraction from his growing nausea. No matter what waited for them at the end of it, the journey couldn't be over quick enough.

* * *

The shattered moon had long since taken to the sky by the time that their pilot began to reduce airspeed. Gritting his teeth against the sensations of his motion sickness as once again he slung his pack over his shoulders and triple checked his access to Crocea Mors. The red cabin lights came on as the pilot brought their craft down low and prepared to hover.

Daring to look out the side doors for an instant, Jaune saw a series of furrowed fields flashing past below accompanied by the occasional stand of trees. It was a familiar sight, despite how far from the safety of the kingdom they had flown. The numerous boundary fences gave the earth a patchwork effect that reminded Jaune of the blanket his mother had once sewn for him many years ago.

Their aircraft came to a halt and hovered a scant twenty feet above the ground's surface. In their compartment the lights switched from red to green, temporarily blinding the blonde leader. Shouting his thanks to the pilot he leapt from the hovering aircraft to the ground below, trusting his teammates to follow after.

Hitting the dirt with a dull thud, he dropped to a crouch. In short order, three other impacts told him that his teammates had joined him. Off in the distance and owl hooted, sending his hand instinctively to the worn leather of his sword hilt and loosened the weapon within its sheath. He hardly dared to breathe as he listened for any hint of the presence of their enemy, even as moments became seconds, and seconds became minutes. Finally content that they were in no immediate danger, he rose to standing again and looked up at the moon.

From his pocket he drew and opened his scroll, its dimmed screen gently illuminated his face as it came to display a map of their surroundings that he had pre-loaded prior to their setting off. In the centre of the display was a red dot, and a short way off to the north east was marked their destination.

"It will be dawn soon, though we should be able to reach the town by then if we set off now. Remember, we don't know how bad things might be here or how many Grimm are in the area. Keep your eyes open and we should be okay. Let's start how we mean to go on and show these people just what team JNPR is made of." He spoke softly, keeping his voice scarcely above a whisper. Looking from one face to another, he noted the change from their earlier demeanour; where once excited smiles had been, now there were stern and steely masks.

Turning towards their destination, Jaune drew his sword; its cold steel rasping eerily against the mouth of its sheath. The metal glinted in the moonlight, reflecting the luminescence of the shattered celestial body above. Internally Jaune fervently hoped that he wouldn't need to swing the blade in anger, at least not yet. He knew all too well that the night belonged to the Grimm, sheltering and strengthening them in their hatred. Around him he heard his three companions draw their weapons too, forming a loose formation around him. Pyrrha took his left, Ren his right and Nora made up their group's rear guard. It was a manoeuvre that they had gone over time and time again until it had become almost second nature to them.

Taking the first step, dirt crunched beneath the sole of his boot. Peering into the darkness, he led the way with sword in hand. It was slow going at first as every rustle in the bushes and every twig snapping underfoot had him halting with shield raised to fend off the attack that he was sure would follow, yet it never did and so on they would go. It wasn't until the moon had begun to dip towards the horizon that they first encountered their enemy.

The first indication that they had was a long and blood-chilling howl from off to their left. It was everything that Jaune could do to raise his shield in time as a clawed paw lashed out from the darkness accompanied by a feral snarl and a pair of beady eyes burning brightly with hatred. One by one other pairs of eyes came out of the gloom from all sides. Jaune's eyes grew wide with realisation; they had been penned in and surrounded. At his sides, his teammates drew closer to form a tight square.

Sparks leapt from the surface of his shield as another enemy took a swipe at him; they flashed bright and burned his eyes in the brief instant before they vanished again. The blonde lashed out from behind his shield, swinging towards one of the monsters which dared venture too close. He felt slight resistance as his weapon bit into the flesh of the creature, rending fur, flesh and bone as though they were nothing. A pained growl gratified his efforts as one of the beasts fell away with its chest cavity in a red ruin.

Before he could celebrate, another of his foes was on him. Behind he felt Pyrrha's back push against him as she caught an attack on her shield, immediately lunging forward with her spear and piercing the throat of one of the Grimm. It uttered a sickening gurgle as it dropped, pawing at its wound in a vain effort to resolve the issue; already dissipating into mist and melding with the darkness again.

The death rattle of gunfire came from off to his right as Ren opened up on the encroaching Grimm. His twin pistols lit up the night around them in green light as his weapons spat a deadly barrage at their enemies. The din from his attacks was matched only by the thunderous detonations of Nora's explosive rounds echoing in the darkness as with each pull of the trigger, she converted the attacking monsters into a rain of viscera which dotted the landscapes in smoking patches. A little ways away some of the foliage ignited, the flames leaping up eagerly as they set about consuming the branches and canopy of a small tree. Flickering light illuminated the scene, revealing a seething mass of black fur and gnashing teeth all around them as the Beowolves closed in for the kill.

The fight went on for what felt like hours as Jaune and his team fought off the encroaching horde. Their breathing had become laboured as any aura reserves that they had initially possessed ran out. Each of them had amassed a collection of cuts and scrapes from the few instances that they hadn't managed to raise a shield or duck a blow quickly enough. Jaune himself had a gash above his left eye which dripped blood into his eye and left it stinging. Yet for each of the minor wounds that they had received, five Grimm would fall down dead.

It was just as the sun began to creep over the horizon, illuminating the world in vast rays of brilliant orange light that the enemy stopped coming. Jaune first came to notice when he instinctively swung his sword to engage a new foe, just as he had however many times over the course of the night, only for it to sail unimpeded through the air and bury itself in the dirt at his feet. The momentum of the swing took him to his knees and drove the wind from his lungs as the full extent of his exhaustion hit him. Around him, his teammates dispatched the last of their opponents and stood, blinking in the morning light with weapons raised and ready for action.

Each of them looked as tired as the last and all were breathing heavily. Jaune couldn't blame them, for he was no different. His chest heaved as his body fought to draw in the precious air that he needed to function. His arms felt like lead and the mere idea of moving sent spasms up and down his body even as his muscles cried out in protest.

He looked around in disbelief, relieved that they had a respite from the battle, no matter how brief it might turn out to be. Around them the road and embankments were torn up and scarred from the hunters battle the night before. Craters lay peppered around the landscape and what few trees had been there previously were reduced to splintered and smouldering trunks. Empty bullet casings covered much of the floor surrounding Ren, with many having settled in the cracks between the paving slabs under their feet.

"Is everyone alright?" Jaune asked when his body had stopped shaking and he had caught his breath.

"We're fine over here." Ren replied, turning his attention to Nora and giving her a once over to check for injuries more serious than the odd scratch.

"I'm fine, nothing major a-Jaune… your eye!" Pyrrha cried out in shock as she caught sight of the blood trickling around her boyfriend's left eye. It had long since begun to dry and fused his eye closed. She dashed to his side and gently but firmly grasped his chin and tilted it up to get a better look at his wound. In response, he clasped her shoulder and gently pushed her back.

"It's okay, don't worry. It's nothing serious. It looks worse than it is."

With a saddened expression he tore a long strip off of the bottom of his hoodie before producing his canteen from within his rucksack. Wetting the torn cloth, he set about cleaning and bandaging his eye, blinking a few times as the sudden bright light hit him.

"There, it's as good as new see?" He smiled, attempting to reassure her. He seemed to succeed to an extent as the worried expression on her face faded away.

"We should get moving, before more of these things turn up. By my guess it shouldn't be much further until we hit the town."

With a heave, he pushed himself back to his feet and wiped his sword clean against his Jeans. Drawing a cumulative breath, team JNPR set off once again now painfully aware of the kind of challenge which awaited them in the surrounding landscapes.

* * *

As it turned out, Jaune's estimate was right. The town came into view before long, a low silhouette on the horizon. As far as they could tell from what they could see of the rooftops it was a fairly large town for the provincial regions with a number of houses varying between both one and two stories tall. Around the perimeter ran a thick wall of hand cut stone bricks, with a single thick wooden gate set into it with flanking gate houses. As they approached, they noted the series of claw marks gouged into the surface of the stone reaching from the bottom right up to the top.

The gate itself seemed to be the worst afflicted with a number of sections completely layered with indistinguishable marks made by a variety of cruel swipes. It was impossible to tell the number of Grimm which had wrought such damage, it could have been only a few or it could have been hundreds. To Jaune, the only question that remained was; where were they all now? Were they dead or merely biding their time? It seemed that his teammates were having similar thoughts as a sense of disquiet settled over the four of them.

It was early afternoon when they finally reached the gates; the sun was near enough directly overhead and shining brilliantly. Their bedraggled company approached the scarred wooden gate blocking their way and came to a halt. Jaune looked around for any way of getting in but none presented itself. Shrugging his shoulders he raised his hands and bellowed with all of the might he could muster.

"Hello?! We're the hunters from Beacon! We had a job request with the town!"

As his voice died down and several long moments passed by in awkward silence, Jaune began to contemplate the reality of having to spend another night outside of the town walls. It was a grim concept to be faced with, especially after the night before. Looking round the faces of his teammates, he could see that they were exhausted. Fighting all through the night on what little sleep they had managed to catch on the flight in, coupled with the fact that they hadn't yet eaten that day had left them all at their physical limits.

It was to his great relief then, when a solitary figure appeared in the right hand gatehouse to answer his call. The individual stood there in silence for a long while, looking down at them as though trying to determine that they were in fact human and not some kind of disguised monster that would wreak untold havoc.

"Who are you? What's your business here?!" He yelled back down to them.

"We are from Beacon academy sir, we were sent to solve the problem this town has been having with the Grimm lately" Jaune replied, an edge of impatience in his voice. When the watcher was unresponsive, Jaune feared that he would deny them access and turn them away to survive in the wilds for another night. It was a concern further supported when they turned away and disappeared back into the gatehouse interior from whence he had come.

Yet to the blonde's relief, after a painfully long few minutes, the gate began to open with a groan. Not waiting for the town's inhabitants to change their minds, Jaune and his team hurriedly made their way inside and past the gates. Once inside they caught their first glimpse of the town itself. It was set into three main sections, subdivided by three main streets all running towards what appeared to be the central plaza in the distance. Jaune and his team found themselves at the end of one of the principle streets. A large inn was built on the street directly ahead of them, outside of which was hung an aged sign with paint worn and faded by the elements. It depicted a stag with a white coat and a set of magnificent antlers. The quality of the artistry was undeniable, with a line of elegant script underneath reading; 'The white hart'.

Beyond the inn, the town appeared to be made up of mainly small cottages, constructed from the same stone as the town's perimeter walls. Their roofs were primarily shingled with a couple tiled over in a dark grey slate. Many of the windows had their shutters drawn closed and the shopfronts appeared all but abandoned.

"You're late. We were expecting you yesterday." A mystery voice drew Jaune from his thoughts on their surroundings. Turning he was met with an individual garbed in a crude form of armour. Rusted chainmail links covered her arms and torso beneath a reddened leather jerkin with the town's sigil embroidered over her right breast.

"We got held up a little ways from town, Grimm ambush, they kept us busy all night." He explained "Im Jaune Arc, and these are my teammates. We are team Juniper from Beacon academy."

"Well we're glad to have you here. I'm Captain O'Cirrighan, I head up the small garrison of guards in the town. We mostly deal with petty thievery and drunken brawls. In the past we have dealt with whatever Grimm encroached on the town but lately things have changed. They started attacking in greater numbers and by cover of darkness, it didn't take long for them to completely overpower and exhaust the few good men that I have left. That's where you guys come in, but we can talk about this later. A room has been prepared for you at the inn for the duration of your stay; the food might be simple but the beds are comfortable and the company is decent. You should get yourselves settled in first and come speak with me once you are properly refreshed. We've held the Grimm at bay so far, I'm sure we can hold out a few more hours while you catch your breath."

Jaune and his team heaved a collective sigh of relief and each thanked the captain in turn before heading for the 'White Hart'. The atmosphere inside was bright and fairly cheery in contrast to the town around it. A healthy fire burned in the hearth, kicking out welcoming warmth against the chill outside. Across the back wall was set a long, low bar behind which sat a multitude of untapped casks. A friendly looking young woman was leant against the bar and idly wiping over the wood with a cloth. Seeing the small party of hunters enter she perked up and rushed over to meet them.

She stopped short and beamed them all a bright smile before leading them up a flight of stairs and down a short hallway, lined with doorways. Stopping at one of the doorways around a third of the way along the hallway she produced a bunch of keys and unlocked the door with it. Kicking it open, she handed Jaune the key and ushered them all in.

The room itself wasn't entirely dissimilar to their shared dorm back at beacon. Four beds were arrayed against the back wall, with fresh linens made up and towels neatly folded at the foot of each. A large window was set into the wall itself with a pair of thick red curtains to match the rug on the floor. Opening out from the right hand side of the room was a modest bathroom complete with a shower and low hung basin. In all O'Cirrighan had been right, the room certainly didn't lack for comforts. Thanking the landlady, Jaune made his way to the bed on the far left and dumped his rucksack beside it, effectively claiming the bed space as his own and sitting himself on the mattress.

His team acted similarly, each choosing the bed which most took their fancy. Unsurprisingly, Ren and Nora ended up with beds next to one another, just as Pyrrha chose the bed closest to that of her partner. It made Jaune smile that even in such strange surroundings and when faced with such a bizarre scenario, there was still some aspect of familiarity.

Climbing to his feet and gathering up the towel from beside him, he headed to the room's ensuite and made for the shower. Stepping under the water he groaned softly as it flowed over his shoulders and down his body, cleansing his wounds. He could feel its warming caress begin to unwind the tensions and stresses from his body. The water flowed brown at first, with a mixture of dirt and dried blood from his injuries. Grasping the soap, he began to tentatively scrub himself clean, hissing in pain whenever he came to one of the various cuts to his body. By the time he emerged from the bathroom in a cloud of steam, his skin was scrubbed a bright pink.

On his bed he found a small box of medical supplies waiting for him. Examining the contents, he shot a quizzical expression to his partner whom was stood close by.

"It was the innkeeper. She came back while you were in the shower with medical supplies for us." The redhead explained dutifully before heading over and gently re-dressing the cut over his eye with a fresh bandage.

* * *

That night, sleep came easily for the blonde. All of his aches and pains seemed to fade away the moment his head hit the pillow. Despite the ease with which he fell into it, Jaune's sleep was not an entirely peaceful one. His dreams focussed almost solely on the mission and the unknown results that he would soon face, Grimm surrounded him and when he moved to fight them off he found his weapon blunted and ineffective against hides as strong as steel.

He woke with a start, his chest heaving as a knock on the door rang out in their room. His teammates still slept in their beds with calm expressions on their faces. Regaining his composure Jaune swung his legs out of his bed and made his way over to the door. When he opened it he was met with an entirely unfamiliar face. They were a young boy, no older than eleven or twelve. He stood awkwardly in the hallway with his hands clasped behind his back and seemed to squirm under Jaune's gaze.

"I-I'm sorry to wake you sir, it's just that the captain sent me to fetch you. She requests that your team meet with her in the inn's common room as soon as you are ready." The messenger boy spoke uncertainly and in a way that reminded Jaune of himself way back when he had first come to Beacon. The blonde nodded his understanding and closed the door.

By the time he turned back to wake his team they were already getting up, seemingly having been woken by the sound of voices. Pyrrha was the first on her feet and at his side, sleepily rubbing her eyes with a long yawn.

"Im sorry guys, looks like we won't be getting any more time to rest. Captain O'Cirrighan wants us downstairs as soon as possible. Let's get moving, the sooner we get this finished, the sooner we can get back to Beacon and really rest up."

Nora groaned at the news, but otherwise there was no complaint from his teammates as they set about their morning ablutions to make themselves presentable for the meeting with the captain of the guard.

* * *

O'Cirrighan was waiting for them in the common room with a wooden tankard in hand. She was sat at a large wooden table in the corner of the room, well away from what few other patrons there were. Even the innkeeper herself seemed to be keeping some distance from the captain. Hesitantly, team JNPR approached and took their seats around the table.

"Thank you for coming, we don't have a great deal of time so I will keep this brief. We have a Grimm problem and we need it taken care of. I joined the town guard six years ago and in my time, I have helped put down a number of Grimm but those numbers were nothing compared to what this town is currently faced with. Recently their attacks have been bolder and more frequent, and while the walls and the gates are enough to hold them for now they will not last forever. That's where you come in. My men have pinpointed the source of these monsters; their 'nest' if you will. your job is simple, I want you to head to the nest and wipe it out." She explained.

"That sounds too easy… what's the catch?" Ren asked with a hint of scepticism.

"Well, the nest is in a shrine a little ways to the north, that shrine is dedicated to the guardian spirit of this town and been the centre of this community since time immemorial. The people have prayed there, celebrated and mourned there. As such, there are a number of older folks in town who blame our recent run of bad luck on the nest defiling the shrine. Several of them have already set out to try and clear it for themselves, but those that do never return. It got so bad that I had to completely seal off the town, no-one in or out. We can't afford to let our people wander to their deaths at the hands of those monsters, but neither can I keep the town completely closed off. Do you see the nature of our problem? If it were just a small horde I could gather up some volunteers and likely fight them off for ourselves, but with it being a nest, there are just too many for us regular folks to handle. My men are volunteers, farmhands, not soldiers."

"It's okay captain, we understand. Our team can handle the problem; it's what we have been training for all this time." Pyrrha answered with conviction burning in her eyes. It was at times like these that she never ceased to amaze her partner; Jaune was amazed by her faith even when the odds were stacked up against them. It was a faith in their team, a faith in him.

"It will be just like last time, only this time we will have the edge. We know where they are now." Jaune added. In his eyes a fire smouldered, it wasn't just a simple mission anymore, it was an opportunity to level the score.

"Im glad to hear that you are all so confident, but I must ask one more thing of you all. The shrine is sacred to this village; no harm can come to the stones. Let no harm come to yourselves either, we will all be rooting for you here." O'Cirrighan finished and raised her tankard to them, draining the last of her drink and leaving the four of them by the table.

* * *

Less than an hour later team Juniper left the town via the Northern gate and set out on their mission. As the gate boomed shut behind them Jaune knew there was no turning back. He stared back at the solid oak doors and couldn't help but wonder whether he would be making it back through them again. Sensing his disquiet, Pyrrha approached and gently clasped his shoulder. It was a simple gesture but held more reassurance than any other. It settled his worries and calmed his mind, just as she always managed to. Of course he would see the town again; he had Pyrrha with him, had his team with him. They fought together, as one, with those odds on his side, how could they possibly fail?

Walking side by side they followed the path ahead as it meandered lazily through tilled fields. The path itself was smooth paved and well-kept save for the odd patch of weeds pushing through the stones underfoot. They made decent progress as the roadway wound itself into a grove of trees. Light poured in through the canopy above and granted the area around them a kind of emerald brilliance reminiscent of the Emerald Tower at beacon. Where the light poured through clearings in strength the forest floor was dominated by a thick carpet of blue bells, their delicate flowers swaying gently with every whisper of a breeze. Save for the rustling of leaves overhead, the forest was silent. Even the sound of their footsteps seemed to be absorbed by the woods around them, suppressed and silenced.

"Beautiful…" Jaune heard his partner whisper with a look of wonderment in her eyes. Halting for a long moment, he stepped over to join her and pause in admiration for their surroundings. When faced with such realities, it seemed all too easy for Jaune to forget the true nature of the world. In light of such beauty it was hard to imagine that such creatures as the Grimm could exist. With a sigh, he turned away from the bright blooms and began to shuffle along their path again, leaving the beautiful blooms behind and marching towards the unknown.

* * *

 **Ominous words ahead of an uncertain future. I hope that you all enjoyed the chapter and I do apologise for the slight delay. I do have one more prewritten but I will have to stagger the release of it so as to minimise the amount of time that you all are waiting around for it. I will however say this; the next chapter will be a little more action packed. I apologise to those of you who found this one a little dull, but I believe it was necessary to set everything up for the next chapter.**

 **As always please, please do favourite, follow and leave a review. I do read them all and take each criticism into account when writing my future chapters. That's all I have to say for now, expect the next chapter in around 2 weeks' time.**

 **As always, I'll see you all in the next chapter.**

 **The FlagshipArkos**


	4. A Mission's End

**Hello everyone and welcome back for chapter four! Despite personal troubles and university issues I am back and I have for you the latest work. Firstly I would like to apologise for the delay but alongside my other commitments I can't prioritise both the writing and proof reading of these chapters. At the moment I have a couple of weeks over Easter which I will be able to get a little bit more writing done so I hope to have the next chapter out in around a week and a half or so (though dont take that as gospel). Anyway, without further ado, here is chapter 4. I hope you enjoy it.**

* * *

They heard the Grimm long before they saw them, their snarls and growls sounding completely out of place among the silence blanketing the trees. Crouching low and moving with a grace seldom seen, Ren crept from cover to cover. He placed his feet with the utmost care and took great pains to remain unseen. Taking a breath, he found a suitable tree and noiselessly hoisted himself up among the branches. Leaping from tree to tree he crept inexorably closer to their goal. Peering out from his hiding place among the leaves, his magenta eyes widened at what he saw.

Ahead lay a large clearing, completely unobstructed by the forest around and in the centre lay the shrine that O'Cirrighan had told them about. It was a low domed structure set in the midst of four tall stone pillars set at each of the compass directions. Yet it wasn't the shrine that caught his attentions and instilled fear in him, it was the monsters which inhabited the clearing.

Out along the edge, all along the treeline he saw a mixture of Beowolves and Ursai, both major and minor. They prowled along the treeline, almost methodically; never once straying beyond the strict confines of the clearing. Beyond them however were the true horrors, three grotesques stood around the shrine. They were a bipedal species with legs bowed like a goat and each ended in a single sharp point; all up the lower half was a series of spines. Their arms resembled those of a mantis with razor sharp spikes angled back from the forearms to ensnare their prey. Their faces were primarily humanoid with two lidless and beady eyes. Where their mouths should have been, their faces narrowed into a sharp and hooked beak and had a long series of cruel, barbed spines protruding in two lines, one on each side of their head.

Yet perhaps more disturbing than their visage was the series of corpses lying strewn around them. Each was a gruesome sight, with numerous puncture wounds to their chests, likely as a result of the grotesques spined arms having ensnared them. They all bore the same expression of terror, permanently affixed to their faces. Around the bodies, the grass was stained with blood both old and relatively fresh.

The shrine itself played host to the nest; a seething and amorphous mass of black sludge formed into a rough sphere. Long and thin tendrils branched out and entangled themselves with the stone structure of the shrine. It morphed and shifted as he looked on, wondering just how he and his teammates would be able to destroy it. He felt that if the others were to approach, they would lose all hope of surprising the enemy, yet Ren knew that if he opted to attack alone he would soon find himself overwhelmed by a plethora of the monsters in front of him.

As it happened, the decision was taken from him as a long roar tore through the silence of the wood. His eyes snapping down to the base of his tree, they found the burning and resentful eyes of an Ursa Major. All around the clearing, the Grimm all locked eyes on him. The beasts' expressions changed to one of a singular feral nature; to tear him apart and leave his body alongside the others. With a low growl, the monster below charged and slammed into the tree trunk, splintering it in an instant and sending the tree tumbling down.

With a kind of calm and considered grace, Ren pushed off of the tree with his legs and flew into a somersault. Spinning as he fell, he drew his weapons and raked them across the back of the Ursa's neck. Fur and flesh gave way before the sharpened blades of his twin pistols, effectively ending the creature's life. In the brief lull before the surrounding Grimm joined the fray, Ren checked on the grotesques in the centre of the clearing and was surprised to find that they had yet to move. The stood as still as statues, staring blankly ahead as though the battle raging only a short distance away was a mere inconvenience as opposed to a threat.

Before he could interpret their inaction, the enemy was upon him. Gritting his teeth he dived back and out of the way of a swiping paw. Reacting without thought, his body flowed seamlessly to bring his weapons around in a sweeping slash that struck his opponent just above the elbow, cleaving off the Beowolf's forearm. Even as it howled in pain, he was struck in the back by another which sent him sprawling to the dirt.

Grunting as the wind was knocked out of him. He rolled over and sought to regain his footing but was stopped when he was forced to block yet another attack. Standing over him with a snarl on its face stood a Beowolf. Rearing up on its hind legs it raised its paws for a finishing blow, aiming to crush his chest in one fell swoop. Ren had no choice but to raise his arms in his best attempt to block the attack.

Yet just as the beast was about to bring its arms down the tip of a spear sprouted a half foot from its chest. The monster stood stock still with shock across its face even as it fell forward and began to dissipate. Behind where the monster had been he saw his teammates rushing to join the fight. Pyrrha's arm was extended forward from the mighty throw which had saved his life.

Taking advantage of the confusion, Ren swung with his weapons held out. The elongated blades rent through the legs of the Grimm around him, leaving them flailing on the ground, waving their newfound stumps helplessly as he frantically climbed to his feet again. By the time Jaune, Pyrrha and Nora arrived they quickly dispatched the remaining enemies.

"What happened, Ren? You're supposed to be the stealthy one, don't tell me you're getting rusty!?" Pyrrha said with a smirk as she retrieved her weapon. Ren laughed to see the look in her eyes; it seemed to him that she was always happiest in the fever of battle. All her inhibitions and struggles flew out the window as she let her weapons do the talking.

"Not on your life! There was one of these things right under my tree! Honest mistake!" he retaliated, dodging yet another furious swipe from of the beasts.

"You know what _I_ think? I think you just wanted more than your fair share of the bad guys! Shame on you Renny!" Nora yelled out in mock anger even as she swung her hammer and seemed to knock a boarbatusk into orbit as though it were nothing. At that, Ren laughed only harder evading attack after attack in his usual acrobatic fashion.

"Oh come on, Nora! You know I would never…!" He finally managed to reply, decapitating one of the many Grimm around him. Fighting his way over to Jaune, the martial artist positioned himself back-to-back with the leader. "Jaune, the shrine _is_ the nest. There's a big black mass in the centre. I think that is what is calling the Grimm here. It's like a beacon for all the Grimm nearby!"

It was some moments before Jaune replied, focusing more intently on fighting the enemies which sought to rip him apart.

"I-I see it! If we can just fight our way over we can… What in the hell _are_ those things?!" Jaune bellowed as he caught sight of the three grotesques standing around the nest.

"I don't know! I've never seen them before, I think they are the nest's guardians. A special breed of Grimm to protect that thing at all costs; they don't seem interested in us yet, I can only guess that they will move in to attack if we get too close to the nest!" He explained, bringing up all that he had deduced during their battle.

* * *

The battle was a fierce one as more and more Grimm seemed to materialise from the forest. It was a hard fight, just as the one on the night of their landing had been, but the presence of daylight served the hunters a key advantage which they all capitalised on. Pyrrha had long since settled into the rhythm of the battle, simply acting and reacting with practiced precision. Her beloved weapon felled foe upon foe as she span, dodged and lunged in the great dance of battle.

"Focus on killing the smaller Grimm first, the moment there is a lull we will make a play for the nest!" Jaune's voice echoed across the battlefield amidst the clash of claw and steel.

Her emerald eyes scanned for him across the field and soon found him within a tight knot of enemies. A lump rose in her throat as she saw more and more of the Grimm converging on him, a guilty fear that perhaps he would be overwhelmed. Ren fought nearby to their leader but he too was kept occupied by the throngs of enemies which charged him. Even Nora in all of her might seemed hard pressed by the sheer volume of the Grimm approaching.

With a fierce battle cry, she made a dash for her partner's position, swinging her weapon in its sword form and cleaving off any limb which dared make a swipe for her. Reaching the knot of enemies engaging her boyfriend she attacked like a demon, endeavouring to thin out the numbers and ease the pressure. From beyond the wall of Grimm she could hear her boyfriend roaring with each swing and the crash of claws meeting with the unyielding defence of his shield.

At first the Grimm seemed not to notice her onslaught, and those that did noticed far too late to be able to do anything to save themselves, but the more she killed the more she found the next enemy ready and waiting for her with a paw raised to strike her down but those too soon succumbed to her blade.

As minutes wound on into hours, the Grimm seemed to be thinning out, as through the screen of thrashing beasts she caught sight of Jaune. He was panting heavily but still fighting hard. Around his feet in a grisly pile, lay the corpses of the Grimm that he had slain. The sight was enough to make Pyrrha's heart swell with pride, seeing just how far he had truly come.

"Hey Pyrrha! Not checking up on me are ya?" He quipped as the press finally swept the two of them together.

"Not at all!" she retorted "I just didn't like seeing you having all the fun."

Concern welled up in Pyrrha's chest to see the collection of injuries that Jaune had accumulated over the course of the battle. His jeans had been torn to shreds in places and numerous cuts criss-crossed his flesh underneath. Blood marred the torn fabric but the pain seemed not to bother him as he fought on, fuelled by pure adrenaline.

As the two of them fought side by side, they were soon joined by Ren and Nora. The both of them were in a similar state with their clothes in tatters and a whole new collection of wounds to add to those which they already had.

Even Pyrrha had not escaped the battle completely unscathed. One block in every few had failed to mitigate an attack entirely and had resulted in a healthy collection of bruises all over her body as well as a couple of slightly deeper cuts which stung horribly and left blood trickling across her flesh.

"We've got a lull! Move for the nest, or we might never get another shot at this!" Jaune cried, cutting down the final enemy near them and set off running for the nest. Pyrrha was right beside him as he ran, protecting his left side even as Ren and Nora fell in on his right. Up ahead she saw the grotesques and studied them for any signs of movement.

Closer and closer to the nest, they ran harder and harder to close the gap; thirty feet, then twenty. Just as they crossed the ten feet boundary, the three grotesques came to life and screamed in unison. Never had Pyrrha heard a sound so chilling in her life, it struck her to her very core and gripper her heart in abject terror.

As they bore down on her the champion's trembled uncontrollably, her grip on her weapons was reduced to hardly anything. It was only by a sheer force of will that she managed to raise her shield and deflect a blow from the beast nearest to her. The shock of its attack hit her shield square and knocked her off of her feet. Landing on her back she felt the air rush out of her lungs.

She lay on the ground struggling to return to her feet and draw a breath to ease her burning lungs but was unable; over her stood the creature, with its beady eyes glaring at her hungrily and its beak snapping in anticipation. She made to reach for her weapons, anything to defend herself but before she could muster her defences a spiked foot slammed down on the blade of Milό and pinned the xiphos in place.

With an arrogant triumph in its eyes, the monster cocked back its head and cried out once more before rocketing forward to tear at her flesh with its hooked beak. In one last desperate attempt to protect herself Pyrrha raised her arms and caught the attack on one of her bracers. Its beak skittered off leaving a harsh dent and a flash of sparks. Her vision dimmed and she felt a hoarse cry of agony fly from her lips as pain lanced angrily up her arm, throbbing angrily in protest at her actions.

Over her, the grotesque shook its head, dazed from the collision with its prey's armour. Shrieking again, It looked at her with pure hatred seething in its eyes before lunging again. Hey eyes locked onto its beak as it closed the gap, time seemed to slow in anticipation of it tearing into her neck. A single tear graced her cheek; a tear shed for the future that could have been, her future with Jaune. A big house and three beautiful children swam before her eyes, as she closed her own to await her demise.

That demise never came though. On the edge of hearing she heard a savage yell, the voice was familiar but it seemed far off and distant. She opened her eyes just in time to see Jaune slam a gloved fist into the grotesque's head. It staggered off of her, freeing her weapons. Not allowing the creature to recover from his initial attack, Jaune flourished his ancestral weapon and shifted his grip to a two-handed one and swung. The edge of his sword bit hungrily into the grotesque's neck and shredded the corded flesh and muscle like butter. Passing straight through, the head parted with its owner's shoulders and tumbled to the floor where it lay twitching. The body flailed around idly before it too fell to the grass in a cloud of steam.

Jaune stood with his chest heaving and the point of his sword a couple of mere inches above the turf. Wheezing, he turned to his partner and offered her a hand up. She accepted gratefully and pulled herself back to her feet. In her chest, her heart hammered with all of the adrenaline still coursing through her veins. It was far too close.

"T-thanks…" She said shakily, gathering up her sword and shield and resolving to never allow herself to end up in that situation.

"It's fine. You're not hurt are you?" He replied concernedly, giving her a quick look over which might have brought a light touch of colour to Pyrrha's cheeks had they not been covered in blood, dirt and fighting for their lives. In all it was hardly the time or place for flights of fantasy.

"No… at least nothing major. Though I think I'm going to have a whole new collections of bruises come tomorrow morning." She laughed, taking her place at Jaune's side even as the second of three monsters turned to charge them.

"Together?" Jaune asked idly, raising his shield again.

"Together." She answered, her eyes narrowing on the monster charging them both.

* * *

The grotesques were like nothing that Nora had ever fought before and not nearly half as fun. She couldn't enjoy the fight as she had so many others before. In truth, she was somewhat frustrated by it. In other battles when her hammer hit a Grimm, one of two things would happen; either an armour plate would mitigate the hit or the Grimm would break down into a kind of bone ridden paste.

With these, they could take the hits she was throwing at point blank and still come back wanting more. It wasn't that it didn't feel her attacks, but rather that it simply chose to ignore them. Already, the one that she and Ren were fighting had sustained several cuts from his bladed pistols as well as a shattered arm from one of Nora's onslaughts. Yet still, it didn't stop. She could literally pound it into dust and it would get back up with a look of amusement to try and kill them anew.

Frantically her icy blue eyes looked around for her other two teammates and found them fighting off another of the monstrosities that both she and Ren had engaged. Much to her surprise, she found one of them dead just beyond. It lay on the grass with black smoke pouring off of its corpse and into the atmosphere above. Beside it, its head lay severed and lifeless. Grunting in frustration, an idea popped into her head followed by a savage grin running across her face.

"Renny! Parr four!" She demanded, rushing the monster one more time alongside her partner. Without so much as a word of explanation she knew that Ren understood just what she meant, just like he always did. Even as she watched he charged, ducking and swaying out of the way of their opponent's frantic attacks. The expression on its face had changed drastically since the fight had begun; in the place of rage and arrogance there was now confusion and perhaps even fear.

The two of them pressed their assault and forced the creature onto its back foot, advancing steadily in a harmonious symphony of attacks. When Nora swung her hammer, the beast would dodge, only to be met with the blades of Ren's weapon, taking thick, black chunks of flesh off of the grotesque's bones.

Sliding under a swipe, the martial artist swung Stormflower in a smooth arc and hamstrung their enemy effortlessly. In response it hissed angrily and dropped back as its hind legs gave out reducing it to its knees. Nora saw her opportunity and charged, cocked back her hammer and swung with all of her might straight for its head. Pulling the trigger as Magnhild connected with its skull there was an earthshattering explosion and a thick cloud of pink smoke.

"Fore…" She muttered, emerging from the smoke to join her partner.

When at last it cleared, the Renora duo was stood at the ready. Their breathing was ragged and both were feeling the impact of their day's battles. Nora's arms felt like lead and truly believed that she might collapse at any given moment. The idea of the monster getting up even after that plagued her, though she tried not to dwell on it. If it got back up then they would have to knock it straight back down again.

Thankfully, the smoke cleared to reveal the remains of a very dead grotesque. Its head was completely atomised, having been blasted to oblivion and beyond. Much of the beast's neck had been blasted away and what hadn't remained a smoking ruin, torn into a stringy mess by the power of the explosion.

"Well… I'm not sure that we quite made par… but for what it's worth, I don't think that it will be getting up again any time soon." Ren said with a smile, ruffling her hair with the slightest of chuckles.

* * *

Just a short way away, Jaune and his partner fought on against the third and final monster. They heard the explosion of the second grotesque's demise and felt the concussive shockwave as Nora did what she does best. Spurred on by the victory of their friends, the two of them fought on and pressed their offensive, pushing their opponent back further and further away from the nest but failing to land any significant hits between the two of them.

Certainly, they bestowed the gift of a half dozen cuts to its limbs but it seemed only to take them in its stride and fight on all the harder for them. So erratic were its attack patterns that neither of the two could find any openings which lasted for more than an instant. More often, when they found the opportunity and moved to exploit it, they were met with an arsenal of spikes for their troubles; and so the fight had settled into deadlock.

Taking a solid hit to her shield, Pyrrha slid back and rapidly re-equipped her weapon into its rifle form and sending a few rounds hurtling at the monster. Most of the rounds struck home to minimal effect but one of them struck true, hitting the grotesque in one of its beady eyes. The shriek of pain went up, validating that the round had hit something that mattered, something which couldn't be so easily shrugged off.

Flailing its arms wildly, the Grimm fought desperately to put some distance between itself and its assailants. Watching with narrowed eyes, Pyrrha noticed the disoriented nature of its movements. Every step was off balance or poorly calculated due to the impairment of its sight. Closing the gap with her shield held high, she gestured for Jaune to spread out.

Nodding, the blonde edged off to the monster's right flank, while she continued t creep up on its left. It had the desired effect as their opponent's head shot back and forth, glaring at them both with its one remaining eye. Faking it out, Pyrrha made to move as though to cleave its arm at the shoulder to force it into a defensive move while behind it, and now in its blind spot, Jaune brought Crocea Mors to bear on its arm, hacking it in two at the elbow with impunity.

Leaping back he barely dodged the retaliatory attack, as Pyrrha drove the tip of her spear into the monster's ribs and into the vitals beyond before withdrawing back to a safe distance. Hobbling over towards her, the grotesque came; only noticing Jaune again when it was too late, Crocea Mors bit into its thigh and sent a leg flying with a cloud of smoke.

This time it was Pyrrha who finished the creature, striding forward to where it writhed on the grass and driving her spear straight through its remaining eye with one swift stroke, ending its existence in an instant. She leant on the haft of her weapon and drew in a shaky breath, glad that at least the fighting was over. As the adrenaline began to wear off, her injuries began to become painfully apparent.

A large cut ran across her thigh, just above where her armour ended and below where her cuirass began. She hissed as she attempted to put weight on it and it buckled beneath her. Jaune moved to catch her before she could hit the ground but underestimated his own fatigued state, promptly following her down to form a pile of tangled limbs and awkward apology.

Beneath him, Pyrrha barely stifled a cry of pain as she put her weight down on her injured arm. Hastily loosening the bindings of her bracer, she removed it to expose the skin underneath. Already the bruising was beginning to show, changing her skin into a mottled colour between purple and black. The bones in her forearm seemed to be broken, as the appendage was no longer lined up straight and was offset by around a half centimetre. She guessed that it was a clean break and supposed that she should be thankful for not having sustained any more serious injury.

As Jaune fussed over her apparent injuries, staunching the bleeding from her thigh and tenderly bandaging whatever else he felt needing dressing, Ren and Nora finally came to join them. Both appeared to be exhausted, and Ren had developed a slight limp but otherwise they seemed to be unharmed.

"This isn't over yet. We still need to destroy the nest before it calls anymore of those things to the area." Ren explained matter-of-factly.

* * *

As it happened, that was by far easier said than done. They wearily approached the shrine, feeling the aches and pains of the battle that they had just fought. As they made their way over to what they all hoped would be the final hurdle, they each readied themselves for another fight. Not one of them had ever encountered this 'nest' entity before and so none of them knew what to expect from it.

It wasn't until they got to within the last couple of feet that they got their first good look at it. The amorphous blob was about two feet across and seemed to be a slick membrane stretched over a series of pulsating veins. The numerous tendrils that snaked their way out of it had clutched the stones of the shrine tightly, with thin cracks running away from the points at which its grip was centred. At the very top, it split to give way to a single orange stone similar to a piece of amber, but this one shone brightly in the cover of the shrine, illuminating its interior in a ruddy glow.

Looking at it for a long moment, Jaune marvelled at it. It was like nothing that he had ever seen before. It was a bizarre thing to see, being both hideous but bathed in an oddly charming light. He lowered the point of his sword ever so slightly, but that was all that the nest needed. In the front, an opening formed, releasing a blinding orange light and a burst of sweltering heat. Shading his eyes with a hand, Jaune peeked through the gap between his fingers just in time to see a jet of smoke fly out. An ill feeling twisted his gut into a knot as his eyes followed the smoke projection, horror striking him as it began to manifest itself into the form of an Ursa Major. Before he had time to so much as blink, the beast came to life with a roar and leapt forwards with a snarl.

Raising his sword again, all thoughts of appreciation were lost for the nest. Now he knew its true nature, he understood just why it had to die. Before he had chance to strike though, several more clouds of smoke streamed forth and formed into the creatures of Grimm, their razor sharp claws and savage teeth all too ready to tear them apart, as smoke made flesh.

Diving for the shrine, Jaune took a swing for it though his hopes were very swiftly dashed as a beowolf leapt in the way and blocked the attack. The sudden weight on his weapon tore it from his grasp and left him defenceless as more enemies came in to cut him off from his only offensive tool. Unfolding his shield he blocked hit after hit, his adrenaline raced with each and every one. His heart raced; were any of these hits to land, he would be in serious trouble. Even as he backed away, his arms were growing more and more tired, with each block becoming slower and slower. It was only a matter of time before one of them got through and converted his fragile body into a pulp of blood and splintered bone.

In one final gargantuan effort, the blonde gathered up what little strength remained to him and swung his shield. Claws skittered off of its surface as the point at its base slammed into the knee of one of his monstrous aggressors. The beast howled in agony as the bones in its knee gave way underneath the hardened steel. He leapt through the newly made opening and into a roll whereupon he seized the hilt of his ancestral sword. Snapping his eyes around, he promptly located his partner and called out to her. His sword had dispatched a further two Grimm before she turned to him. Holding his shield above his head horizontally he looked at her expectantly.

Relief washed through the blonde as his partner nodded her understanding and charged at him. Running back towards her and rapidly closing the distance, Jaune braced himself as best he could against the soft turf underfoot. They would only get one shot at this. She reached him and pushed off of the ground with all her might and landed onto Jaune's shield. Using his very last ounce of strength and drawing upon that of tomorrow, Jaune used his shield as a platform to launch her high into the air.

Red hair streamed behind her as she flew, before the Grimm blotted out his view of her and he fell back into the merciless rhythm of battle. Over the clamour of his fight, Jaune heard his partner's war cry; a savage shout that told of her determination. Moments passed and at first it seemed as though nothing had happened and that they had failed.

But then it came, the most high pitched and ear splitting screech that Jaune had ever heard. He dropped to his knees and screamed, clutching his ears in gloved hands and trying to block out the sound if he could. All around him the Grimm flailed in agony and exploded into dust, the fine particles drifting harmlessly to the ground all around him, illuminated by the dying light of the evening sun.

Five long minutes passed before Jaune could so much as think. He writhed helplessly on the ground, howling with pain as the screech endured. It seemed to reverberate within him, hitching his heart and making it hard to breathe. Through a veil of tears, he caught glimpses of his teammates similarly affected. Even Nora, the mighty Valkyrie was immobilised, clutching the sides of her head with an anguished expression masking her once jovial features.

When at last the noise died, Jaune at first thought that he had gone deaf. His hands trembled terribly as he pulled himself to his feet. It took him three attempts to actually stand, all strength having fled him. In the hollow of the shrine, no evidence of the nest remained save for the cracks in the stonework where it had once rooted itself.

Hearing footsteps off to his right he released a shaky breath, gladdened to know that he hadn't lost all hearing. Though it was undeniable that all sounds seemed strange and distorted, as though they were a hundred miles away. Looking over he found Pyrrha, Ren and Nora all making their way over to him. They stood beside him, looking at the dusts drifting gently through the air and the shrine that the four of them had cleansed of evil.

"W-we did it… right?" Nora asked softly, making it hard for her to be heard.

"Y-yeah… I think we did." Ren answered in a matching tone

The words resonated with Jaune as all strength left him and he tumbled to the dirt. He heard the concerned voices of his team and the feeling of three sets of hands grasping at him and lowering him gently to the earth. The world went dark as he faded from consciousness, Nora's words echoing within him, knowing that they had truly completed their first assignment on the road to being fully fledged professional hunters. A warm sense of pride filled him accompanied by one final thought before the urge to rest consumed him.

'… _We did it...'_

And did it they had. Though little could they possibly know that all across Remnant the storm clouds were brewing and harkening a threat the likes of which they couldn't possibly have imagined.

* * *

 **So there it is, the mission's end. What did you think of it? In this one, I'm trying to set a bit of a darker tone for the main plotline but that isn't to say that the whole story will be doom, gloom, angst and sadness. I have a couple of fluffier chapters lined up for the future so don't you worry. As I say, I will be striving to have the next chapter written and proofed in a week and a half, maybe two weeks at the latest. As always don't forget to follow, favourite and review as all reviews do ultimately help to shape the way in which I write these chapters. I read all of your comments and honestly appreciate every single one.**

 **Thank you all ever so much for reading and as always; I'll see you all in the next chapter.**


	5. A Calm Before a Storm

**Hello Everyone and welcome to the latest chapter. This one is a little more lighthearted and a bit of a spacer chapter between the major events. I hope you all enjoy!**

* * *

 **"The Worst Moments in Life are Heralded by Small Observations"- Andy Weir**

* * *

It was late by the time that the town once again came into view. In the woods it had been pitch black, concealing any signs of the bluebells that had captivated her the day before. Up ahead, the path wound its way lazily through tilled fields until it met with the gatehouse that she and her team had passed through the previous day. Heaving a sigh of relief, Pyrrha turned to face her teammates. They had all been ominously quiet on the trip back to town, even Nora, the girl so full of life and energy had seldom made so much as a sound.

It concerned Pyrrha to no end, this was only their first mission after all, and if it had this profound an effect on them it left her to wonder just how they would cope for the rest of the year. Yet before she had the opportunity to follow that trail of thought, a hand gently clasped her shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze. The action caught her quite by surprise and her whole body tensed up in response as her eyes frantically shot around to see what she was certain would be an enemy.

Yet that wasn't the case. There were no gnashing teeth or blazing orange eyes, so filled with hate. There was only Jaune, her partner, boyfriend and closest friend; his face illuminated by the pale glow of the shattered moon. His cerulean eyes seemed t stare right through her and into the very depths of her soul. It left no doubts in her mind that he knew exactly what she was thinking, he always seemed to. It was a look that showed her that he understood her feelings and was always there for here, whether he said it or not. It all seemed so odd to her, that so much feeling could be expressed by so simple a gesture.

Taking a steadying breath, she put her best foot forward as once again their little group began to close the gap between themselves and the relative safety of the town's walls. The going was slow, especially with their accumulated injuries and extreme fatigue. Aura had long since ceased to be a luxury that they could enjoy and they were feeling the full effect of their wounds by the time they reached the town's gatehouse. Pounding weakly on the gates with all that remained of her strength, Pyrrha could only pray that someone could hear them. For once her prayers were answered, as a sentry poked his head up above the parapet with a lantern held aloft to peer into the dark. Shock spread across his face as he saw the ragged remains of team JNPR.

"By the Gods! You kids look like hell!" The sentry captain cried as the gates began to creak inwards. Team JNPR didn't give him a response and passed through the gates the moment that the gap was wide enough. It wasn't until the wooden doors behind them slammed shut that the four teenagers allowed themselves to relax.

Pyrrha sank to her knees in the centre of the roadway with her team following suit mere moments later. Raising her hands in front of her face and was surprised to find them shaking uncontrollably. Her hearing faded out, only to be replaced by the sounds of her own heartbeat pulsing in her head. That's how she was when the medics came sprinting over. Their mouths moved but she never heard a word that they said. She frantically looked around and watched as the medical staff lifted her comrades onto stretchers and bandaged their wounds wherever possible.

Exhausted, she tried to make her way over to them, only to be stopped along the way by two of the medics. She fought weakly against them, wanting to ensure that her friends were okay, but she made no headway against her captors. They shepherded her onto a stretcher and laid her out. The canvas sling was to her in that moment, the most comfortable thing that she had ever experienced.

Finally accepting the futility of resistance, Pyrrha allowed herself to succumb to the aches, fatigue and outright agony that she felt. Closing her eyes, she drifted into the darkness and allowed rest to take over even as the medics fought to stem the bleeding of her wounds and keep her conscious. The last feeling that she remembered feeling before falling into unconsciousness was an overwhelming sense of calm. A calm the likes of which she hadn't known for what felt to be an eternity. Calm in knowing that the trials she and her friends had faced over the previous days had finally come to their close.

* * *

When she woke again, Pyrrha's body ached all over and felt as though she had gone three rounds with a steam locomotive. Her head felt fuzzy and her limbs weak, as though it had been weeks since last she had the chance to use them. Sitting up, she took in her surroundings for the first time.

She was laying in her bed back in the 'White Hart' and wrapped all over in a patchwork of bandages and medical dressings. Her armour had been removed and replaced with a set of loose sweatpants and a baggy t shirt. There were three other beds in the room, of which only two were occupied; Ren lay in one sleeping peacefully and Nora was in the other. The two had notably been pushed together, most likely at Nora's request.

The third bed within the room was unoccupied, although the tousled sheets indicated that someone had been sleeping in it until very recently. A quick inspection of her surroundings soon found the culprit; Jaune was sat at her bedside with his head resting on her thigh, asleep. It took her a few moments to recognise the blonde boy under the thick layer of bandages that seemed to envelop nigh on his whole body, but the few locks of his hair that managed to break free were unmistakable.

Smiling softly to herself, she reached out and gently brushed her fingers against one of the tufts of his hair that had broken free from the bindings entrapping him. To her surprise it was still soft and smooth to the touch, even despite the blood, dirt and desperation that they had been through. Under her touch, Jaune stirred and slowly lifted his head up off of the sheets. Rubbing his eyes with the knuckle of a bandaged hand, he brought his cerulean eyes to bear on her.

Nerves bubbled up in the pit of her stomach as he looked at her, until the corners of his mouth twitched and a joyous smile crossed his features and lit up his face. With a cheer, he practically dived at her to wrap his arms tightly around her and pull her in close to his chest. She buried her face in his shoulder and enveloped him in her arms despite the protestations that her body gave. Breathing deep she filled her lungs with his scent and felt relief wash over her.

"Mr. Arc! Just what are you doing?!" A voice called out from the doorway into their room. Pulling away from each other the two teenagers turned to see a pretty young woman dressed all in sterile white. She carried a huge mound of bandages in her arms and a disapproving look was firmly affixed to her face as she strode into the room and ushered Jaune back into his bed. "I didn't spend all night washing, dressing and tending to you for you to throw all of my hard work away by over-exerting yourself at the first opportunity."

A pang of jealousy stabbed into Pyrrha's heart at the mere idea of another woman seeing her boyfriend without his clothes and being so physical with him, no matter how necessary to the blonde's health. But the champion tried not to let it get to her, reminding herself of the various states of injury that both she herself, and her three teammates had been in when they arrived back the night before.

Turning to the redhead, the stern nurse crossed the gap between the beds and carried out a number of checks. Her bedside manner may have been rough, but Pyrrha couldn't deny the efficiency with which she worked. In only a matter of seconds the checks were completed and Pyrrha was being wrestled back into bed whether it was what she wished or no.

"Now, the four of you are to remain in your beds and rest whether you like it or not. Nurse's orders, is that understood?" The nurse growled. The two teenagers could only nod meekly as she once again left the room, her shoes tapping against the floorboards and heading away from the room.

"Is she gone?" A groggy sounding voice asked from across the room, coming from Ren. He lay entirely unmoving save for a single magenta eye that watched the room around them.

"Yeah, you're safe for this time. She's gone for now but you know she will be back in about an hour or so." Jaune answered with a chuckle, folding his arms back behind his head.

"Oh good, I had hoped that she would leave me alone. I don't think I can handle another dose of whatever she gave me last time. It smelled awful and only tasted worse." Ren continued, his whole body seemingly shivering at the memory.

"Just how long have I been sleeping?" Pyrrha asked, suppressing a giggle at Ren's response. On the surface both he and Nora might seem to be as alike as the moon and sun, but beneath that there were moments that the Lotus and his Valkyrie were all too similar to one another and it was comical to behold.

"Pretty much since last night, by the time we actually got here we were all in pretty bad shape. 'Extreme Aura Depletion' is what they called it I think. Apparently we had expended so much energy fighting out at the shrine that our bodies had basically begun to shut down. They had us under pretty much constant surveillance until we woke up, and that was about two or so hours ago." Jaune explained, turning his head to look at her directly.

Pyrrha nodded her understanding with a slight frown. She hadn't thought that things were so bad the night before. Things had been painful, certainly, but to hear that her body had effectively been about to give out entirely unsettled her. Adjusting her pillows, she stared up at the rafters overhead. It was disturbing to know that they had all been brought so low by their first assignment. The fighting alone had felt as though it was far beyond their collective abilities. Closing her eyes with a soft sigh, she allowed herself once more to fall into the realm of her dreams.

* * *

It was a further day before they were declared fit to leave their beds again, and even then they were warned off of anything that might tax their bodies too far. According to the medical staff it would be some time until they had fully recovered from the whole ordeal. Not that Pyrrha minded, her whole body continued to ache terribly; in fact she welcomed the opportunity to take it easy for a couple of days and relax with her team.

The townsfolk didn't seem to have gotten that message though and had been celebrating with town wide street parties since the four teenagers had recovered and first emerged from their room. Complete and total strangers approached them with wide eyes and bright smiles to thank them all time and time again. Complete and total strangers would approach them and demand the details of their exploits since joining Beacon academy.

Yet perhaps the most shocking of all was the swarms of young men and women who would all approach in efforts to earn the favour of any one of the four hunters. No matter how many times they were sent packing or told that none of them were romantically available, it didn't seem to deter the crowds in the slightest. Much to her chagrin, Jaune seemed to be the subject of half the town's affections. Everywhere that they went there were girls fawning over him and fighting to catch his eye. The blonde looked like a deer in the headlights, clearly not all that happy with his newfound celebrity status among the townsfolk.

"I don't care about being popular here, its weird…" He told her as they walked through one of the town's many parks. "Why don't they get it, that you're the only one that I want to be with. They don't care about me for who I am…"

"That's the price of renown." She replied whimsically "It's exactly how things have been for me ever since I started competing in the tournaments years ago. You become an object of their fascination and no matter how often you tell them no, or how much time passes, they will never go away."

The two of them stopped at one of the benches dotted along the fringes of the park and sat down. An awkward silence settled over them, a far cry from the easy going relationship that they had once shared. Jaune furrowed his brow with a frown and leant forward so that his elbows were resting on his knees. Burying his face into his hands he sat motionless for a long moment before at last, he uttered two words, each one falling like a hammer blow.

"I'm sorry…"

Pyrrha turned and fixed him with her emerald gaze, her face taking on a quizzical expression as she waited for some form of explanation. When it was not immediately forthcoming; the redhead eased back in her seat and clasped her hands in her lap. It wouldn't do to rush him now, given that he seemed to be wrestling with something that was presumably important to him.

"I'm sorry for… everything really. Ever since we all came back to Beacon, things just haven't been the same between us and it's all my fault. When we stopped talking over the summer because of the companies always keeping you busy it felt like a part of me was being torn away, I thought that maybe… well… I wasn't sure if you loved me anymore. It was easy to ignore at first but as time went on it stopped to be just some stupid thought and a part of me started to believe it. I felt so bitter and twisted up inside, and guilty for feeling that way. I mean, how could I think that?" He sighed, turning to lock eyes with her. To her surprise, silent tears were working their way down his cheeks.

"Oh, Jaune." She answered, unsure of just how to react to his confession. To a part of her it made some sense, things just hadn't been quite the same since they had all come back to Beacon. Things between the two had felt strained and difficult where once they had been easy and carefree. "You don't have to apologise. It was a horrible amount of time for us to spend apart, especially when we are so used to being together in almost every aspect of our lives. When two people are apart for that long, unable to even communicate, we all go a little bit crazy. But I never once stopped loving you. Every day I would wake up and you would be the first thing on my mind, even as you were the last before I went to sleep. Every day felt like an eternity without you there beside me to cheer me up and keep me going. I was counting down the moments until I knew that we could be together again."

The two of them sat there in silence as the words began to sink in. Pyrrha's heart felt tight in her chest and her breaths were shallow. Tears welled up in her emerald eyes and threatened to run down her cheek with every passing moment. She had known that something hadn't been quite right between them, but to hear it all laid bare had struck an even deeper chord within her than she could possibly have expected.

Strong arms wrapped themselves around her and pulled her away from her thoughts before they could overwhelm her. The tears broke free from her eye and rolled down her face, dripping onto the worn wood of the bench upon which she sat. She buried her face into the crook of Jaune's neck and blotted out the world, wanting only to be close to him as she wept. Against her, she could feel his body shaking as he too allowed for all of the pent up emotion to finally flow free into the open; there were no more secrets between them now.

"I'm sorry Pyrrha… so sorry. Seeing you lying there in that bed, too exhausted to move… it really hit me just how dangerous things have become for us. I'd been acting so selfishly towards you, and if something had happened to either one of us then I…" She interrupted his speech by ensnaring his lips with her own. He stopped dead and for a moment seemed unsure of what to do.

"It didn't happen to us, not this time, and as long as we are together it never will." She whispered, and brought their lips back together again. The tears on their cheeks melted together and fell freely as they kissed. It wasn't an electrifying kiss as when they had first confessed their love. it was one of reassurance and reconcilement, her telling him that there was no ill will between them. When at last they parted again, she cupped his cheeks softly in her hands.

"Jaune, I'm sorry that I didn't make more effort to keep in contact over the summer. I promise that it will never happen again, and as soon as I can I will cut ties with those companies. I only want for us to be together. A-and you have to promise me, promise me that you won't keep these feelings to yourself in future and that you'll tell me so that we can work through them together." She said, doing her best to hold her voice steady. Jaune simply nodded, not trusting his ability to speak in that moment. But he didn't need to. Leaning in he kissed her once more, a kiss of passion and love, trusting in his actions to convey the sentiment better than mere words ever could.

* * *

That night the whole town went into overdrive; having heard that the four teenagers that had saved their shrine were on the mend, the arranged the biggest celebration that they could. The very air seemed alive with the collective energy. Fireworks burst overhead in a multitude of colours that illuminated the faces of spectators below. The streets were even more packed than they had been, lined with stalls selling everything from confectionary to souvenirs, and the smiles; not a single frown was to be seen among the crowds. Even the nurse in charge of their care had switched her usual grumpy demeanour for a more amicable one; though that didn't stop her from chastising them whenever she felt they might have been 'overdoing it'.

For Pyrrha it was a bliss, almost enough to make the ordeals of the past few days feel worth it. She wandered through the streets with her team, trying as much of the food as they could manage and perusing the variety of keepsakes on sale. The redhead walked arm in arm with her partner every step of the way, not wanting to let him go now that their differences had been resolved. Things were certainly a little off still, but it was nothing like it had been and for that she was grateful.

As the night came to a close and they stood in the square among the crowds to watch the fireworks overhead, they were joined by the captain of the guards. Even she seemed to be at peace with things, having left her uniform behind for the night in favour of more relaxed attire.

"I haven't seen the townsfolk this happy about something in far too long. I cannot thank you enough." She said, turning towards them. Her eyes reflected the bursts of colour in the sky above them in such a way that it was hard to think of her as the hard captain that they had first met.

"We're happy to help, but surely the Grimm will just come back again?" Ren asked, with a slightly sad expression.

"Aye, they always do, but it won't be tonight. The positivity brought about by this party and your actions should keep them away for a couple of weeks at least. The people here have hope for the first time in a while, and that does more to keep the Grimm back than a thousand swords ever could." She explained, looking up at the sky again. "Tonight, all we have to worry about is having as much fun as we can and staving off the hangover tomorrow."

Pyrrha couldn't help but smile. It was a bizarre way of thinking, but she supposed that out here on the fringes of the kingdoms that it was all too natural to want to live for the day; especially when the next day might never come at all. It was a mind-set brought on by necessity. Taking a leaf from the townsfolk's book, Pyrrha leaned in and kissed her partner, savouring that moment as bursts of coloured flame bloomed above them like so many flowers in spring.

* * *

The four of them woke early the next morning, ignoring the effects of the previous night's revelry and climbed out of their beds. It was to be their last morning in the town and it was clear upon their faces that none of them were completely up for leaving. Just as their team had had an impact on the lives of the townsfolk, so too had the town affected them. It was a happy place for them and despite the dangers and fear of their mission here, the positivity and energy of the place had proved infectious.

Readying themselves in record time and packing up their gear, Jaune made the call to Beacon informing the dispatch of their successful mission and the need for a pick up as soon as was possible. Having received the confirmation, team JNPR packed up their equipment once more and shouldered their bags. As they left the inn, all was silent. Only the shy barmaid was around to see them go, with a slightly saddened look on her face.

Stepping out onto the street they were met with O'Cirrighan and a small contingent of her guardsmen. As team JNPR came into view, the captain barked an order to her men. The squad snapped to attention and saluted in unison, perfectly synchronised in a way that can only be achieved through years of practice. Jaune stared at them in awe, feeling a little overwhelmed at having an honour guard dedicated especially to his team.

"If we may, we will walk the four of you to the gates and see you off in style." The captain said, back to her foreboding and stern nature.

"We would be honoured." Jaune replied, bowing awkwardly, unsure of how he was supposed to act. Nervously leading the way, the blonde and his team stepped out onto the street and began walking towards the main gate. Without so much as a word, the squad of guardsmen formed up around them and fell into time with one another, their boots making an ominous thud together with every footfall.

The walk to the gate was a short one, barely a couple of minutes long. As they approached, the gates opened ahead of them and unveiled the tranquil lands beyond. Their escort followed them until they passed through the gate and came to a halt, the front ranks parting to make way for the four hunters. O'Cirrighan gave them one last uncharacteristic smile.

"Team Juniper, I wish you all the best for your training and know that the wishes of our whole town go with you. I hope to see you all again, albeit under more peaceful circumstances" She said cheerily, though the look in her eye suggested that even she was sad to see them go.

"Im sure we will. Our adventures might bring us back this way someday." Pyrrha replied, offering up a smile of her own. Her teammates nodded their agreement before all four turned away from the captain and her town and stepped off to begin the long walk to their pick up point.

* * *

The aircraft was waiting for them by the time that they arrived at the agreed rendezvous point. Its turbines were the only sound to be heard in the calm of its surroundings. Once it came into view, the four teenagers found an additional spring in their step and hurriedly boarded the craft. Almost as soon as they had found their seats the engines roared and pushed them up and away from the ground below. Jaune settled back into his seat with a low groan as the aftermath of his previous night's celebration made itself acutely apparent to him. Pyrrha could only chuckle and clasp a hand around his knee in support; it was going to be a long flight for the blonde.

Through the windows, Pyrrha watched the clouds float idly past as they tore through the clouds at speeds she could only guess at. It would seem that their pilot was in a greater rush than usual, though when she inquired about it, the pilot only shouted back that he wanted to get them there before Jaune could 'redecorate' the interior compartment. Despite this, the redhead remained convinced that something wasn't quite right and something in her gut told her that they would find out just what before too long.

* * *

Only a couple of hours had passed when Beacon Academy came into view, a mere fraction of the time that their flight out had taken. Putting the aircraft into a shallow dive, the pilot warned them to prepare for landing and buckle into their seats. The trainee hunters obliged and braced themselves as the tarmac of the landing zone rose to meet them. The engines whined as they banked and came in low over the ground until at last the pilot touched down.

Disengaging their seat restraints, Pyrrha helped her partner to his feet and out of the aircraft. He looked greener than usual and that could only be a bad sign. Once the blonde had disembarked onto terra firma again and been directed to the nearest bin that he could dispose of his stomach's contents into, Pyrrha turned to help Ren and Nora unload their collective equipment. Around them the landing deck remained ominously empty, not even the usual supply crews were to be found loading and unloading the crates of supplies that Beacon required to function on a daily basis.

No sooner had they finished unloading, than the familiar sound of heels came into earshot. Turning to face the academy, Goodwitch came into view with her usual stern expression fixed onto her face; though to Pyrrha something seemed off, out of place, as though a part of Goodwitch's spirit was missing. Had the redhead not known better, she might have assumed it to be fear.

"Team Juniper, I am glad to see you all returned and well. Unfortunately there is no time to stand on ceremony. Professor Ozpin has requested to see you all in his office at the soonest possible occasion, so I'm afraid I must ask you all to accompany me now." The professor said as she came into earshot. Pyrrha froze, knowing that this must have had something to do with their pilot's rapidity in bringing them home.

Before she could react, Jaune had shouldered his bag and begun to follow the professor. Turning to face his team, he offered a reassuring smile and a nod, encouraging them to follow him. Pyrrha followed suit despite the fact that her mind raced in an effort to try and decipher just what this might have been about. Had they displeased the headmaster in their completion of the mission? Were they in trouble for some kind of unwitting transgression? None of it seemed to add up and with every step her trepidation seemed to grow.

They were led across the courtyard and into the Emerald tower, Ozpin's official seat of power within the academy grounds. One by one they followed Goodwitch across the foyer and into the elevator beyond. In silence their party travelled up to the very top floor, to Ozpin's office. The familiar clanking of gears came into earshot as they approached their destination. In her chest, Pyrrha's heart beat faster and faster. When at last the doors to the elevator opened to reveal Ozpin's office, it felt fit to burst from her chest.

Inside the Professor was stood at his desk with his back to them, as though he hadn't been expecting them at all. One by one they filed into the room and over towards the professor. Goodwitch followed them with slow and deliberate steps, her heels clacking against the floor of the office in sync with the gears' clanking all around them. As they made their way in, Pyrrha came to notice three other figures in the room, stood off to one side; Ruby, Blake and Weiss. Though the three were unlike their usual selves, it seemed as though their energy and joy had been sapped away to leave mere shells of the people they had once been. Even the undying light in Ruby's signature silver eyes seemed to have been quenched, and were those tears on her cheeks? Something was very wrong indeed, and where was Yang.

Seeming to finally take notice of the arrival of team Juniper, Ozpin turned to face them. In his hands was an old and dusty tome, bound in worn and cracked leather. The book looked ancient and as though a single breath might crumble it into dust. The professor's sage eyes fell upon each of team Juniper's members in turn as though he were studying them each for some trait that only he knew. Moments passed into minutes before the Professor finally spoke at last, his voice thick with emotion in a way that filled Pyrrha with cold dread. The words would last with her until the day she died for they were the words that marked the beginning of the end to life as she had come to know it.

"Tell me, which is your favourite fairy tale?"

* * *

 **Familiar words foreshadow darker times. I hope that you all enjoyed the chapter and didn't find it to be too far out from the main plot arc. I tried to focus a little more on Jaune and Pyrrha's relationship and clarify where it is that they were mentally and emotionally following their length spell apart. I also wanted to touch on the nature of Ren and Nora and the sides to them that perhaps the show doesn't really address. Most of it was speculation and artistic license on my part but it was so enjoyable to write.**

 **Anyway, that is all for this installment. Please do let me know what you thought of it. PM me or review it if you have the time, I read them all and try to address and improve upon the concerns and criticisms that you raise, so in that regard it is very much a team effort. Favourite and follow if you are interested in hearing when the next chapters come out, the moment that they do.**

 **Thank you all for reading and as always; I'll see you all in the next chapter.**


	6. Legends, Tales and Truths

**Hello everyone and welcome back after what has regrettably been quite some time. Unfortunately, due to the immense workload I have set myself over the past weeks, the amount of free time that I have had has been pretty much zero. However, times are changing and for the next couple of weeks I have plenty of time in which I can work on both this story and 'Living in a Fairy Tail', so expect updates a little more frequently. Anyway, without further ado, I present the latest instalment! I hope that you enjoy it.**

* * *

 _ **'True friends, like Ivy and the wall, both stand together and together fall' - Thomas Carlyle**_

* * *

"Long ago and in a time before time, there existed four sisters. Those four sisters each had bestowed upon them by the very gods which made this world, the power of the four seasons. Each was given the powers of the season which befitted their respective temperament and nature. Under these four sisters the world grew and was moulded until it had become home to all kinds of life in all kinds of lands as they worked together in complete harmony. This is a story which many of you are likely to have heard since it is often told by parents to their children, it is a joyful tale of the power within each of us to change and shape the world around us, making it into a better place for all to live in; but what isn't so often said is the remaining half of the tale. The tale of just what that power did to the four sisters and the manner in which it corrupted their souls, before consuming them in a darkness which is today all too familiar.

What you must understand is that to suddenly find oneself with the full power of nature itself can have a strange effect on those whom hold it. Even though those four sisters were pure of heart and sought to use their abilities for the good of all, in time they found themselves changing little by little until they had become all but unrecognisable from the people that they had once been. They became distorted and twisted by their power and rather than them wielding it, it began to wield them. One by one they fell into darkness and lost their harmony with one another, often clashing with such ferocity that they scarred the very landscapes that they had once worked so hard to create, leaving vast swathes of land completely uninhabitable by so much as the simplest and smallest of organisms.

Then, one day they all but disappeared; fading into obscurity and becoming but a distant memory. From time to time they would return; every time bringing death, famine, pestilence and war in their wake. Rather than using their powers to create and replenish, they had become warped and only sought to destroy and erase all life. They despised everything that they had once breathed life into, seeking to wipe the earth clean of everything that they saw as being inferior or unworthy of existence. It is said that those four sisters are the creators of the Grimm; their ultimate attempt at destroying all that is good in this world, and with it, all that remains of their former selves.

They scattered to the four corners of the Earth and lay dormant, choosing to let their minions do the majority of the dirty work, deciding that one day they shall ride forth again for one last purge to mark the end of all." Ozpin explained, each word falling like a hammer blow that left Jaune and his team stunned, at a lack for words. "But perhaps the most important fact about this 'story' is that it is no story; it is true. What many forget is that so many of these ancient tales are based in forgotten truths, and this is no exception. The legend of the four seasons and the rise of the Apocrypha is every bit a truth. It is in anticipation of the four sisters' return that the order of the huntsmen and huntswomen was created, and that this very academy even exists."

Jaune stared in silence at the professor with his jaw hanging low. This couldn't be right, it had to be some form of test or trick; another example of the headmaster embracing his flair for the eccentric. But as time wore on and the silence continued, Jaune found himself growing more and more convinced of the truth in what Ozpin was saying, after all, what reason did he have to tell such a lie?

"Now, I am sure that you are wondering why it is that I have brought you all here. For team RWBY that will be clear given the events of your first assignment. But for Jaune and his team's sake, I would ask that you tell your part of the story again, just as you told it to me, so that we might bring them up to speed with recent events." Ozpin went on, answering Jaune's curiosities with yet more riddles.

Ruby stepped forward and towards them, clearing her throat and preparing to tell the tale. Jaune turned to face her, intent on removing the veil of mystery surrounding the nine of them in that office; but when she spoke it stopped him dead in his tracks. Her voice was completely devoid of its usual cheer and was instead monotonous, lacking in any of the vitality that it had once had. Her eyes darted around the room, locking onto her teammates over and over as though she had to keep making sure that they were really there.

"We accepted a pretty simple assignment for our first one; it was just asking us to reduce the level of Grimm in an area beyond the kingdom walls because they were beginning to overrun the local militia. Weiss wanted us to ease into the year so we didn't tax ourselves too much ahead of the more challenging assignments later on."

At the mention of her name, Weiss nodded her agreement, though her intense icy blue eyes never once left her leader. Rather, the heiress' gaze seemed to bore into Ruby unrelentingly as though searching for any hint of a falsehood in the story being told, ready to counter with additional details should Ruby have faltered.

"It all started off simply enough. We caught a flight out to the town and made contact with the client before making preparations to head out. We met the Grimm right where we were told they would be and began to cut them back without too much trouble until we reached the fringes of this forest about a mile or so from town. That was when things went wrong… when… _'it'_ arrived." Ruby took a pause, visibly steeling herself before trying to go on.

"It was like nothing we had ever seen before and it arrived with almost no warning at all. Even the Grimm seemed… scared of it." She began again. Her voice was shaky and full of fear. It was almost as if she thought just talking about what had happened could bring 'it' back down on them at any moment. "It was huge and moved around on four legs. A torso sprouted from its back with hundreds of weapons sticking out of it at all angles, notched and blunted. It looked like it had fused with a horse, and its arms hung right down dragging along the floor. And its eyes, they weren't like the normal Grimm. They were more… human, like they were smarter and not just driven by anger.

Behind it came more Grimm than I'd ever seen in one place, hundreds of them of all shapes and sizes, as though it were leading them on some kind of crusade. There was just a solid wall of black fur. We gave it our all but we had already been fighting for hours and there were just too many of them to beat. In the fighting, Yang made a move to try and kill the leader but no matter what she did, it just didn't seemed bothered. It… well… it laughed. She hit it with enough force that the whole earth shook and it just _laughed_ at her. The more angry that she got, the more amused that thing seemed to get.

It turns out that it was just toying with her, like it knew that he posed it no real threat. Next thing we knew it had hold of her in its hands and lifted her way up off the ground. With one arm it reached back and tore one of the rusty swords from her back and… it hacked at her shoulder. It turned her into a red mess… there was blood everywhere and if it hadn't been from her semblance I think she might have…" The tiny girl's voice trailed off as the tears began to fall freely to the office floor below.

"I have never seen Ruby move as fast as she did. There was a sound like thunder and a shockwave that stripped the bark from the trees around us. Even that… _thing_ seemed surprised. Next thing I know there was Ruby, holding Yang tight. After that we didn't wait around, we got out of there and fled; fighting the whole way back to our emergency evacuation point." Weiss continued the story, stepping forward to wrap her arms comfortingly around the tiny leader.

The tears rolled on down the little reaper's cheeks and fell in quick succession. Each drop echoed around the room as it struck the ground under their feet. Team Juniper stood completely dumbfounded. Jaune's whole chest tightened up in fear at the news. Team RWBY was one of the strongest that Beacon had to offer, and if they couldn't so much as scratch that thing, whatever it was, then what chance did they have against it?

"I-Is Yang…" Jaune began, struggling to actually form the words.

"Miss Xiao Long will survive, though there was nothing that could be done to save the arm that the creature struck. The shock of losing her arm will likely take even her some time to grow accustomed to. It is fortunately that this academy still holds such close ties to the Atlas government... I'm told that the latest lines of prosthetics are quite sophisticated. However, from what Miss Rose and her team have described, I believe that it was one of the four Apocrypha that they encountered. Specifically, it would seem that she encountered the Summer sister; she was the most brazen of all four and gave birth to all of the hunters in this world. It was her fascination with the hunt and her arrogance that led to her downfall into this creature of war. The question now remains thus; what are we going to do in the face of this new threat? At present I have no plan of action, but if the Apocrypha are returning then things are going to get a lot worse before the end. What I need to know, is whether or not I can count on the seven of you, to take up the mantle of hunters and help to counter these new enemies before they put an end to the world as we know it."

* * *

Jaune stared at the room's sterile white walls, unthinking and numb inside. Laid out in the bed before him was Yang, though she didn't look like any version of Yang that he had ever known. Her skin was far paler than he had ever seen and her golden locks that she had once been so proud of fell in an untidy tangle around her face. At first glance it might have appeared that she had passed on and ceased to be if it hadn't been for the gentle rise and fall of her chest beneath the infirmary blankets. Her left hand lay on her stomach, moving ever so slightly with each breath that she took. But, just as Ozpin had said; the blonde fighter was missing her right arm. It had been completely severed just below her shoulder, leaving the slightest of stumps wrapped up tightly in fresh linen bandages.

To Jaune it was a truly shocking sight and one which really hit him hard. His chest ached and his heart broke to see the girl, once so mighty, brought so low. He had sat at her bedside for a long while, as though keeping watch over his fellow blonde. In his mind he couldn't process it all, everything that Ozpin had said and the story that Ruby had told. Over and over in his head he saw the tears rolling down the tiny girl's cheeks, it was an inescapable vision that left him to ponder the course of his own future. It was easy to forget the realities of what being a hunter actually meant until it was literally right in front of him.

A slender hand gently clasped his shoulder and a cup hovered in front of his face, pulling him out of his thoughts and back to reality again. Jaune took the cup and savoured its warmth as it coursed through his hands. Looking up he was met with the face of his partner, she too was unlike her usual self, with her usually vibrant eyes having lost their lustre, becoming dull and full of sorrow; though not that Jaune could judge her for it. The news of Yang's injury had been quite a shock to all of them. The whole academy had been left reeling once the news had broken. Yang had been a notable character around the school, and so her absence had left many questioning just what could have happened to her. Of course, after that it was only a matter of time until the truth had gotten out.

It was most notable whenever the teams would go to eat; the canteen seemed almost empty without Yang's bubbly personality and melodic laugh. Meals had simply become dull without the stream of terrible puns that had once served to keep them all in high spirits no matter just how bad things got. It was like a piece of them all had been torn away, leaving a hefty void behind that simply couldn't be filled by anyone other than Yang herself.

The ones that Jaune truly felt bad for were Ruby and Blake; the two girls had almost completely withdrawn into themselves following the event. Neither of them spoke a word whenever they were around and their appetite had diminished completely. Blake often locked herself away in her room for days at a time with her books, finding solace in their words more than she possibly could in any of her friends. Ruby herself kept to the school's training facilities for hours, only returning for food or when she became too exhausted to raise her beloved scythe any more.

Jaune had watched the two with guilt, hating his inability to do anything to alleviate their suffering other than offer the occasional word of support or comfort. Even Weiss seemed visibly rattled by the state of affairs, dark rings having formed under her eyes after many a sleepless night, trying to hold together the remnants of her team.

Jaune sipped at the drink his partner had brought him, savouring the feeling of warmth as it coursed its way through his chest. He looked up at her with thankful eyes though otherwise remained silent, not trusting his voice to hold steady long enough to form any words. She seemed to understand as she drew a chair up beside him and took a seat, resting a hand on his knee in a silent show of support.

Giving her one quick glance, Jaune turned his gaze back to the injured brawler and sighed. His mind raced through a hundred memories, playing them over in a surprising degree of detail ranging right back from his first meeting with Yang and her sister on the airship, to the first fight that their two teams had taken part in way back in initiation. Each memory hurt more than the last as he recalled the exuberant nature that Yang had always exhibited and left him wondering if she would, or even _could_ , ever be the same again.

Just as he finished his drink, the door to the infirmary room opened. Weiss stood in the doorway with a somewhat dishevelled Ruby stood beside her. Weiss looked completely exhausted to the point that Jaune wondered just how she was even still standing. Her skirt was crinkled in such a way that the heiress would ever have allowed in her usual state of mind. But it was Ruby beside her that shocked Jaune the most. The tiny reaper had grown gaunt and thin as the result of her increasingly insufficient diet and incessant training sessions. Her eyes had grown red and puffy, as a direct result of having spent more than a few nights in her room in tears.

Jaune stood to his feet and offered the tiny girl his chair, even as Pyrrha did the same for the heiress. The two girls shuffled across and sat in silence, Weiss offered a grateful smile as she sat. Jaune made for the door, following his partner out when he came to a stop in the doorway. Turning around, he looked at Ruby for a long moment, watching as she reached out to gently place her hand over that of her sister. She gently caressed the sleeping blonde in silence, scarcely blinking as though she almost expected Yang to disappear were she to close her eyes for so much as an instant.

Sighing, something clicked in Jaune's head; he knew what he had to do. With determined steps, he made his way across the room again to crouch down in front of his fellow leader. Reaching out he placed a hand on her shoulder and fixed her with his deep cerulean eyes. She turned to face him with a saddened and confused expression that left his heart feeling tight within his chest. He cleared his throat and before he knew quite what he was saying, the words were tumbling out of his mouth on impulse alone. It was driven purely by his instinct and feeling alone.

"Ruby… I don't know how we are going to do it and I don't even know if we can, but I swear to you that we are going to get this thing. I don't know about my team but I want you to know that I am there every step of the way with you. I will do everything that I can to help you and stop that _thing_ out there from ever doing this to anyone else ever again." He said. Surprise gripped him as he heard the words that he was saying; the voice didn't sound like his own. It was powerful and determined in such a way as he had been unable to achieve before.

Ruby looked at him and seemed to be taken aback slightly. Jaune watched as a spark leapt to life and ignited the fire in her eyes once again; that same fire of raw determination and hope that had once been there, bringing her back to life. He looked at her for a long moment but was surprised to find that in an instant and a flash of rose petals, the tiny girl was on her feet and had wrapped her arms tightly around his shoulders to bury her face in his shoulder. Even Weiss seemed to be quite surprised by her partner's actions, smiling ever so slightly to see Ruby interacting again.

"Thank you Jaune… We're going to crush that thing no matter what; for Yang." Ruby whispered to him, gripping his shoulders tightly.

He didn't reply, hugging his friend tightly until she pulled away again. He let her go and gave her a smile. It warmed his heart to see her falling back into her old self, even if only for a short while. He stepped away from her again, excusing himself from the room. He gave Yang one last look before leaving the room again to re-join his partner.

* * *

He found Pyrrha waiting for him just outside the door with her arms folded and leaning against the wall patiently. As Jaune came into view, she fell into step with him and began the walk back to the dorm room. Initially things were silent between them for some time. The hollow tapping of their footsteps reverberating off of the hallway walls was the only sound that was to be heard.

"Jaune… I heard what you said in there, about helping Ozpin." She said, finally breaking the silence between them. There was an uncertainty in her voice that left Jaune feeling uneasy. "Are you sure that you want to do this? I mean, you heard what that thing was capable of, do you really think that we have any chance at beating it?"

"I'm sure Pyrrha, no, I'm positive. Seeing what it did to Yang and the way that Ruby and her team have been falling apart made me realise. I can't consciously sit by and just let the others fight this battle. If what Ozpin says is true and those things really do mark the start of the apocalypse then it's my duty to do my part for the fight. I came here to train as a huntsman because I wanted to make the world a better place. I would be a poor excuse for a huntsman if I turned away now, just when the going starts to get tough. If this truly is the reason for huntsmen and huntswomen existing then it is my duty to stand against these monsters as thousands have done before me. I don't expect you, Nora or Ren to follow me into this, not unless you truly want to; but for me, this is just something that I need to do."

Things were silent between them, their footsteps echoing through Jaune's mind as they walked together. He was under no illusions that this might have been one mission that he would have to go it alone for, though he couldn't deny that deep down he truly hoped that they would stand by his side once more to stare down the end of the world.

"It is an awfully big step to take Jaune, I mean this would mean fighting against monsters that possess the power of the gods themselves; but… if this is something that you truly want to do, then I will stand right by your side. You are right in saying that this is the problem of all peoples that live on Remnant. Besides, what kind of partner would I be if I let you stand alone to face the end of the world? I mean it all sounds rather romantic in a way; two lovers standing on the edge of oblivion and fighting against what seems to be insurmountable odds." She replied. Her words were slow and deliberate, as though she was carefully weighing up each and every one. When he came to a stop and locked eyes with her with a look of disbelief, she smiled at him shyly, before leaning in capturing his lips with her own.

She kissed him sweetly for a long while, savouring the taste of his lips the whole while. When at last they parted, she leaned her forehead against his. She wrapped her arms around his neck and held him close. Breathing deep she took in his scent and smiled. It was a fragrance that she knew well, and was in fact one that she had bought for him for his birthday after a long deliberation with Weiss over just what to choose. It was there in that moment, holding him close, that she felt happy. It seemed the closest that she had felt in a long time.

"I love you Pyrrha. More than you could ever know."

* * *

'Yes', it had been such a simple word to say, but in truth it carried so much more meaning than Jaune might have expected. Yet he had still stood there in Ozpin's office and effectively pledged himself to a cause that up until very recently, he hadn't even known existed. Perhaps even worse than that was the fact that it was perfectly within the realms of possibility, that doing so would ultimately lead him to an early grave at the hands of some Grimm demi-god, harbinger of the apocalypse. To say that it was all rather overwhelming would have been the understatement of the millennium; the blonde was just one step away from a complete meltdown.

But he didn't allow himself the time to dwell on it for fear that it might have worn down his resolve. It wouldn't do to be having second thoughts now, not after having already agreed to help in any way that he possibly could. Besides, no matter just how bad things would get, Jaune felt safe in the knowledge that Pyrrha would be right there at his side to face it all head-on with him. For that alone he treasured her as both his partner and closest of friends.

As he saw it, the only true issues that he now faced were Ren and Nora; or rather, telling them of his intent to fight alongside Ozpin and the others. He could only hope and pray that they, like Pyrrha, would still opt to stand with him and fight back against the end of the world, though he knew that such a hair brained scheme as this might prove to be one adventure too far for the dynamic duo to join.

As he walked along towards the dorms with Pyrrha by his side, he was silent. He had long since turned inwards to reflect on his present conundrum, trusting his partner to keep him on track and stop him from walking into anything. Beside him, the redheaded champion had a pensive expression on her face, marking that she too was contemplating the realities of their shared situation.

When they reached the door to their room, the two stopped for a long moment to steady themselves and steel their nerves. Giving one another a final look of support, they opened the door and stepped into the room. Therein they found their two remaining teammates waiting for them, both sets of eyes watching Jaune and his partner expectantly.

"We have some news to share…" Jaune began with a shaky voice. That was until Ren halted him with a raised hand and knowing smile.

"We know what you are about to say. We saw the two of you heading up to Ozpin's office a little while ago, it wasn't hard to figure out that you both want to help Ozpin with whatever plan he is cooking up in there." He explained, his expression resuming its usual, stoic form.

"You already knew huh? Well that figures, I guess there's no fooling you two. So if you already knew what we were about to say, then you also know what comes next?" Jaune replied, hating that he was already starting off on the back foot.

"We have an idea, though to be sure I think you should tell us anyway." Ren stated cooly, his magenta eyes locked onto Jaune's.

"Well, Pyrrha and I agree that we cant stand by while those… things… whatever they are, bring about the end of the world. We are going to fight these things to the very end. We know that we cant expect you both to follow us into this, especially when the risks are so high but we would really like to have you guys with us. We don't know whether we can beat these things but the way we see it, one way or another we are going to have to face these things eventually. It seems to us that if we all were to fight together, that we would have a much better chance of all coming out of this in one piece." The leader finished with a sigh, knowing that his arguments were weak at best. His eyes anxiously scanned the faces of Ren and Nora alike for any signs of what they might have been thinking, but the two were entirely impassive.

The silence stretched on as seconds became minutes. Jaune shifted nervously, looking to Pyrrha for support. His partner offered him a half smile but it did little to calm his nerves or ease the swirling tempest in his stomach. The martial artist and the Valkyrie looked at one another in silence, conveying all that they needed to without the use of words; it was an ability forged only by the years of close friendship and familiarity that they had shared. So when Ren finally answered, each of his words fell like a hammer blow.

"Jaune… How many times do we have to tell you that you don't need to ask us to follow you? Even in the very beginning, Nora and I never had any doubts in your abilities. Ozpin saw something in you, just as Pyrrha did. It was no different for us; we saw a leader that really cared about being the very best that he possibly could be and that was always enough for us." He said.

"That's right!" Nora chimed in, her icy blue eyes locking into the darker ones of her leader. "And if you think that we are gonna let you go out there and have all the fun, then you're wrong. I wanna see if those Apocrypha squish just like the regular Grimm anyway!"

"We are coming with you Jaune, just like Pyrrha. Wherever you lead, we will follow for as long as you will have us there." Ren finished, taking steps forward to clasp a hand onto his leader's shoulder.

* * *

That evening Jaune sat up on the rooftop that he and his partner had sparred on countless times, and watched the moon rise behind Ozpin's Emerald tower. Its pale and ghostly light shone through the giant gem for which the tower was named, and lit up much of the campus in green luminescence. He stared out into it and tried to process the day's events, everything from seeing Yang in her infirmary bed, to the conversations with his team regarding their shared involvement in whatever plan of attack that Ozpin could concoct. Surprisingly, he found that he was overcome with a strange sense of calm despite the impending march of the apocrypha and the inevitable battles that would follow. Right then, and in that moment, it all seemed so far away and surreal; like a dream he had awoken from, lingering on the very edge of his memory.

"Hey Jaune… I've been looking all over for you."

Jaune started at the quiet voice behind him. He had been so absorbed in his thoughts that he hadn't heard the door open or the quiet footsteps approaching. Wheeling around he saw Ruby, stood a short way away with an oddly sheepish look on her face.

She looked much the same as she had that morning, though her eyes seemed to be a lot less bloodshot which left him with the belief that she had likely fallen asleep for a while in her chair in Yang's hospital room. For that much at least, he was grateful. It was no secret after all, that Ruby was in dire need of some decent rest. Her eyes still smouldered with the same suppressed anger that he had seen flare to life when he had pledged himself to the cause at Yang's bedside.

"You have? Sorry, I kinda needed to get away for a while and process everything that's happened y'know?" He replied solemnly, turning to look back out over the campus grounds. Ruby's footsteps rang out as the only sound as she made her way over to join him.

"I wanted to thank you. The others told me about what you did; promising Ozpin that you'd help us out when the time comes. It really means a lot. I know that Yang would say so too if she were awake." At this, she turned to look up at him, her silver eyes reflecting the pale light of the moon and shimmering in a way that he had never seen them do before.

"It's nothing really, we came here to be hunters, and if we don't stand up and fight when we need to then I guess there's not much point. Besides, you and your team would do exactly the same thing for my team if one of us got seriously hurt. I just can't stand by and let the world end, and if you guys are gonna try and stop it, then team Juniper is coming along for the ride." He replied after a moment, finding that the words came easier as he went along.

Before he could finish though, he felt a pressure around his chest. Looking down he found Ruby's arms wrapped around him and her face buried into his side. At first he didn't move, unsure of what had prompted this or even what he should do. When eventually he moved, he simply wrapped an arm around his friend and held her close.

"Do you really think we can stop those things?" She asked after a moment had passed.

"I… I don't know. They sound unlike anything that we have ever come up against before and we don't even know what they are capable of. But I'll tell you one thing; no matter how powerful they are… we will give them a fight that they will never forget. If they want to take over the world and wipe out what's left of humanity, then they will have to get through me first." He replied, turning to look down at her as he spoke.

"And me!" She replied in kind, turning to look back at him.

"Don't forget all of us." Another voice said behind them. Wheeling around in unison, the two leaders found the five members of their respective teams stood in a cluster with Pyrrha at their head. All of them bore the same look of determination in their eyes. They weren't two teams anymore, they were one; unified by a single purpose for which they had trained so hard, and one which had been upheld for thousands of years before them. They stood together for the purpose to which all huntsmen and huntswomen ultimately strove for. They were going to save the world from the forces of evil.

* * *

 **And there it is. I had quite a bit of trouble writing this one as I wanted to make sure that the tone was right and that the Lore I was devising actually made sense. In the end I'm pretty happy with the way it came out, and I hope that you all are too. For your patience and continued support I really can't thank you all enough. It is for you, the readers, that I write these pieces and I hope that I can continue to provide you all with a semi-regular fix of your favourite characters in all kinds of alternative storylines and settings.**

 **If you enjoyed this then please do consider following, favouriting or leaving a review. I absolutely love reading all of your feedback and I do use your criticisms to improve on my work as best as I can.**

 **Thank you all once again for reading and as always; I will see you all in the next chapter.**


	7. The Battle Lines are Drawn

**Hello again, I am back from Germany and home again. Sadly I haven't been able to get any work done on these stories for over a month due to writers block and a general lack of free time. But now I'm home, I will be getting back into the writing process meaning that there will be new chapters coming out fairly soon! And with that, I present chapter seven! I hope you all enjoy it.**

* * *

 **"We May Stumble and Fall, But We Shall Rise Again; It Should Be Enough That We Did Not Run Away From The Battle"- Mahatma Gandhi**

* * *

Jaune sat in his class for the afternoon, leant on his desk and trying to find the most comfortable configuration of his forearms on which to rest his head. At the front of the room Professor Port droned on and on about the various exploits that he had been on in his youth, while the meagre handful of students that were still interested enough took notes in scruffy notepads. Life was once again seemingly business as usual.

In the wake of Yang's injury on her mission with team RWBY, the whole of the year had been put on a temporary stand down for mission assignments pending the Vale council's decision on whether or not the reality was too dangerous for students at the second year level. Of course, the information supplied to the council was a stretched version of the truth that Ozpin had supplied; conveniently having left out the part about the impending doomsday and the ride of the apocrypha so as not to spread a kingdom wide panic. At this point, as Ozpin had told them, the fewer people that knew what was really going on, the better. At least until there was more information on what they were up against.

Burying his face in his arms, Jaune yawned to himself. He had been awake much of the previous night, pouring over books from the school's library for any scraps of information regarding the maidens of the four seasons and their fall into darkness. Thus far, his search had proven mostly fruitless with most books being primarily limited to the more jovial half of the tale and seemingly having censored out anything which might dare to contradict the supposed happy ending.

He had begun his research once classes had begun again. Despite it all, he couldn't just sit back and wait for whatever plan Ozpin had to be announced. He wanted to be more prepared than that, to know precisely what kind of monsters it was that both his team, and team RWBY, would be going up against. He knew that any detail, no matter how small, could potentially prove to be the difference between failure and success, life and death.

But so far all that he had found were stories which regarded the four sisters in their heyday, the powers which the old gods had granted them and the abilities which they were most known for. Jaune had no clue whether or not those powers were long gone, or if the sisters still wielded some kind of corrupt variation of them. To make matters worse, even Ozpin seemed to know very little about their enemy in terms of the specifics. All he would say was that he was working on it and that they could all expect some answers soon. So Jaune had set about conducting his own research into the legend, hoping to find some golden text that might remove some of the shroud of mystery which surrounded the apocrypha and their goals in the ending of Remnant.

The blonde leader was pulled from his thoughts by a gentle tap on his shoulder. Groaning slightly, he sat up and turned to face the source of the interruption of his thoughts. He found Pyrrha sat beside him, looking at him with the same concerned expression that she always did whenever he spaced out in class. Casting a quick look around, he found that the class had ended and that the attending students were already in the process of filing out of the room. Gathering up his textbooks and stuffing them under one arm, Jaune led the way for his team out of their bank of seats and out of the classroom.

Once out into the hallways, his friends fell in around him. They had scarcely gone more than a few steps when team RWBY excused themselves and headed off towards the infirmary to visit Yang. Left alone, team Juniper followed the steady stream of students on their way through to the dining hall to get an early meal. Along the way, Jaune's stomach growled angrily at the lack of food that he had supplied it with, though the blonde simply ignored it. His research efforts had led to him missing more than the one meal, so hunger had become a regular part of his life of late; despite Pyrrha's attempts to drag him off for regular meals.

Filing along with his team close behind, Jaune got himself a tray of food and headed over to his team's usual table to eat. Sitting down, he took up his fork and settled into the veritable feast that the school's talented culinary teams had prepared. As always the meals were lavish and plentiful. Today it was slow roasted beef with a collection of roasted vegetables that were simply to die for. The potatoes were crisp on the outside but light and fluffy within, just as he liked them.

Scarcely a word passed between Jaune and his team as they ate, each person savouring the meal with which they had been provided and enjoying every last morsel to its fullest. It was just as the last of them put down their knife and fork that Professor Goodwitch approached their table with a slightly more sombre expression. She beckoned them to follow before spinning on her heel and walking away again.

Team Juniper exchanged confused and nervous glances with one another in equal measure before returning their dishes and following her out and into the hallways. Her heels clacked ominously against the floors as she walked, echoing down the corridors. Jaune and his team fell in behind her without a word and followed as she led them across campus and over to the tower in the centre.

As the elevator doors opened and they stepped out into his office, Jaune took the opportunity to look around again. The office never ceased to amaze him, given its grandeur and peculiar decorations. In front of him in a huddle were team RWBY and even more to his surprise was that Yang was included in their number. A wide smile spread across both his face and those of his teammates at seeing her up and about again. She offered a sheepish smile to them all as they entered, but Jaune noticed that it never reached her eyes; a fact which was hardly surprising given the injuries that she had sustained.

Ozpin stood behind his desk with the ever present cane and coffee mug in his hands. The headmaster was beginning to look his age, with tired lines across his face that even the power of caffeine was struggling to hide. His once knowing expression was gone, replaced with one of a much more serious nature that left Jaune wondering whether he was truly out of his depth; though before he could continue that train of thought, the professor seized on the opportunity to explain just why they had all been brought to the office.

"Thank you all for coming here so quickly and a warm welcome back to Miss Xiao Long. It is wonderful to see you back on your feet again. I know that nothing can ever truly fix the damage done by that creature, but I would like to offer this as a small consolation for the grievous wound that you received in protecting the people of Vale." As Ozpin spoke, he picked up a box from his desktop and offered it out to the injured brawler.

Nervously, Yang took a step towards the headmaster and opened the box. Reaching in with her remaining arm, she produced an item which, upon closer inspection, proved to be a sophisticating looking synthetic arm. It was primarily composed of a brilliant white metal, trimmed with black and gold at the joints and seams. Without a doubt it was a top of the line item, and one which couldn't possibly have been cheap to acquire.

Yang stood for a long while, holding the prosthetic in her hand. Her lilac eyes studies it closely as tears welled up within them. A flash of concern spread across Ozpin's face before Yang spoke.

"Thank you Professor. I know that this can't have been easy or cheap to get hold of. I promise that once I'm back on my feet, I'll make good use of it. It'll be the last thing that… creature, ever sees before I punch it into the next century." As she spoke, her teeth were gritted together and her voice was thick with rage. Her eyes flickered between lilac and crimson as her semblance flared up. Her fists clenched in such a way that Jaune was worried that she might accidentally crush the prosthetic that she held like a tin can.

"I'm glad to hear that. I have no doubts that we will need your strength before this is over. Rest assured that that arm will stand up to any amount of force that you can subject it to. It was specially built just for you and designed to complement your semblance as best as possible. I can have someone come by the infirmary a little later on to help get it fitted if you should like?" Ozpin explained with a slightly satisfied smile. He watched for a few moments as Yang inspected the craftsmanship of her new artificial limb. The blonde nodded her satisfaction and Ozpin continued.

"Over the past few days, I have put much thought into the dilemma that we are faced with and the number one issue that we have is that we know next to nothing about the beasts that we are facing. For whatever reason they may have had, my research has highlighted that the councils of the respective kingdoms have been progressively and effectively recalled and censored any mention of the apocrypha from the available literature. With the help of some trusted friends, I have found that that very same literature has not been destroyed but is instead sealed away in a place where no-one among the civilian population could possibly find it. To my understanding, it has been sealed away in the central vaults in one of the largest failed expansions that Vale ever had, it is there that your teams will have to go in order to retrieve this knowledge."

"But Professor, how can we go to retrieve it without somebody finding out. The whole school is currently disallowed to send students on any missions for our training pending the council's decision." Weiss interjected.

"An excellent point Miss Schnee, how indeed will you go without raising suspicions? That much is simple, in the coming days the council will convene to discuss the matter. I myself have been called to attend the meeting to justify Beacon's position on the matter. Within the council are a number of questionable characters, politicians whom care more for the condition of their purses than they do for the people they claim to serve. It is these individuals that I shall _'convince'_ to allow the continuation of missions. Once the decision has passed, the students will return to their fortnightly practical assignments and you shall be free to adopt this particular assignment." Ozpin finished and took his seat, interlocking his fingers and leaving the eight students to ask any questions that they might wish to.

"Wont the other students be at risk of meeting one of the four though?" Jaune asked nervously, connecting the dots.

"Yes, that is indeed a possibility. But this is always the case with our chosen line of work. The only measures that we can put in place are stringent checks on the assignments being offered to the students in the hopes of minimising the risk of any such encounter." The headmaster nodded with a sigh. "If you have no further questions, then please return to your studies. I shall inform you all when the plan is ready to be set in motion."

Having been dismissed, the students all re-entered the elevator and left Ozpin in his office to contemplate the coming days. He knew just what was at stake and the risks that would soon prove inevitable. It was the world's most deadly game of chess, and eight teenagers were now his most valuable pieces.

* * *

Yang stared down at her newly fitted prosthetic limb and flexed its hand, marvelling at the way in which it moved. She couldn't help but admire the fact that it moved just like her original had. Rather than feeling false, it was more like a new part of her. She had been amazed by the complexity of it when the nursing staff had helped her fit it. It connected to the remaining nerve endings in her stump while also serving to channel her aura reserves just as her original biological arm had. It wasn't heavy as she might have expected, rather it was carefully crafted to be of the perfect balance.

Clenching her fist again, she cocked her arm back and threw a punch into the metallic training dummy in front of her. The alloy fist ploughed into its target, severely denting it with a loud clang and shaking the ground from the sheer force of its impact. She retracted her fist again and checked the knuckles for any signs of damage but found none. The impact hadn't so much as scratched the surface of her artificial limb.

Nodding her satisfaction she sent another punch into the dummy, following it up with a flurry of kicks that shook the whole training hall and left the blonde panting heavily from the exertion. She didn't let up though, launching attack after attack with growing confidence and power. As she threw attack after attack, she began to channel more and more of her aura into her fists to further accentuate her blows until finally with one final battle cry she drove her fist into the dummy's chest reducing it to a pile of metallic splinters in an instant. Torn shreds of metal rained down around her as her eyes flickered red and flames licked at her golden locks.

Applause rang out throughout the hall and pulled Yang out of her trance. Rising back to her regular standing stance and fighting to bring her breathing back under control she looked around for the source of the noise only to find her younger sister stood off to one side. Ruby had a wide smile on her face and a familiar twinkle in her eyes. Her tiny hands were clasped together and her silver eyes were locked upon her older sister.

"Wow Yang! I can't believe it! You're just like you used to be!" The little reaper practically squealed with delight.

"Not quite… I'm a little rusty. It's gonna take me a while to get used to this thing." The brawler replied Picking up her kitbag and taking a long drink from her water bottle.

"Well… I thought you might like these, for when you get back into practice I mean…" Ruby shuffled over to one side to reveal a rosewood box. It was around two feet end to end and perhaps a foot wide. Its lid was marked up on its lid with Ruby's own personal sigil which could only mean one thing; it was some kind of gadget, modification or weapon, manufactured by Ruby's own hands.

Eagerly, Ruby picked up and handed the box to her sister, stepping back and clasping her hands behind her back with a shy smile. Yang looked at the box for a long moment, admiring the grain of the wood before unclasping its latch and opening the lid. Inside was a thick foam lining into which were set two pieces of equipment that she knew well; Ember Celica.

She smiled softly, setting the box down and crouching over it. Picking up one of the bracelets she turned it over in her hands, marvelling the way in which the light played across their painted surfaces. Despite the familiarity that the bracelets held or her, they were not quite the same. The weapon which she had lost along with her arm had been painstakingly reconstructed by Ruby's talented hands but it was not quite the same. It was a smaller size than the other had been, constructed specially to fit the blonde's new prosthetic.

Yang slid the bracelets over her wrists and smirked at the familiar weight resting on her forearms. Hitting the activation switch, the twin weapons whirred into life with a series of clicks as they expanded into their attack formed. Checking the breaches, Yang found them preloaded with the usual cartridges. Testing the weight around her wrists, Yang called for another training target and adopted her readied stance, narrowing her eyes as she waited for the mechanised opponent to arrive. Behind her, Ruby collected up the box and swept it back out of the way.

The second that her target popped up, Yang slammed her fist into an entirely committed attack, catching the triggers in her gauntlet as she swung. The dust infused buckshot spat from the barrel of her right gauntlet and peppered the target just a moment before her punch connected. Fire burst from the dummy and engulfed it in flame, even as the brawler brought her left hand around to deliver a strong uppercut and separate the dummy's head from its shoulders.

The training programme continued as three more dummies sprang up and shot towards the blonde at lightning speed. She countered with a flurry of attacks, reducing two of the targets into smouldering ruins of molten metal and burned electronics. The third got through; shooting a bolt of electricity that caught the blonde in the back and left her writhing, stunned on the floor. Climbing to her feet, the blonde span on her left foot and brought her right up to catch her opponent in the head. The metal skull caved under the force of the blow. With the simulation at an end, Yang returned her gauntlets back to their passive mode and stepped out of the training ring.

"Thank you Ruby. These are awesome." She said softly, ruffling her younger sibling's hair. "I need to get used to the new weight of them, the right-hand gauntlet is lighter than I'm used to so it throws my timing out a little. I'll get used to it though, this is just the tip of the iceberg and theres plenty of time to go before this blonde is down and out."

Ruby cheered, throwing her arms around the blonde brawler and hugging her tightly. As far as she was concerned, it was a wondrous day. She had her sister back.

* * *

The moon was rising above the rooftop as Yang swept through the numerous forms that she had long since perfected and committed to memory. She threw punch after punch and kick after kick at invisible enemies, flowing through the numerous combinations that she knew. Fighting to maintain her balance, she stumbled and fell to one knee with a frustrated growl. Sweat beaded her forehead and left her hair hanging damp over her face. Behind the blonde screen, her eyes burned red with sheer ferocity.

' _Dammit… how can such a slight change possibly have such a huge effect on my fighting style?'_ She berated herself internally.

It had been the same for hours. She would get up and run through the motions over and over again, only to fall to her knees in blind frustration over a lack of improvement. Every time that she thought she had the problem figured and knew how to counteract the weight difference of her new limb and weaponry she would fall to her knees, beaten by the exact same issue.

"You're pushing yourself too hard y'know? These things take time." Jaune's voice pulled her from her thoughts and crashing back into reality. She looked over to the door where he stood, fixing him with her crimson eyes.

"I don't have time. Those _monsters_ are coming and I need to be ready…" Yang replied bluntly, hauling herself back to her feet.

"And what good will it do us if you're too exhausted to fight them? I know where you're coming from, believe me I do. But if you keep pushing yourself like this, you are gonna burn out long before you ever get a chance to face those things." He answered; a steely look was fixed upon his face the likes of which Yang had rarely seen from her fellow blonde.

"Then what should I do Jaune? This isn't just a case of having lost my stride you know?! I lost my arm to those things, an actual part of me! I have to change my whole style of fighting just to compensate!" There was venom in her voice as she spat her reply. The strands of her hair smouldered as she glared at him.

"I know. I know what it feels like to be behind the curve, and to feel like you're not good enough compared to those around you. When I got here last year I had to fight tooth and nail just to draw even with some of our colleagues. But I did it and you will too. I know you will, it will just take a little more time." Jaune went on, locking eyes with her as he spoke. He pulled up all of his frustrations and struggles from the previous year into his speech. "This is a life changing injury Yang. That is going to have an impact, and I want to help. We can spar every night if it helps, but please; don't drive yourself into the ground alone."

Yang looked at him for a long moment in total silence. It was hard to believe that this was the same guy that had thrown up on her shoes, what seemed like an eternity ago. He was different somehow, tougher and more resolute in himself. He had grown into real huntsman material.

"Okay Jaune. We will do it your way, but I want to spar twice a day. We don't have the luxury of time anymore; do we have a deal?" She asked with a sigh, begrudgingly accepting that he had a point.

* * *

Every day for the following two weeks, that was how it was. The two blondes would climb up to the rooftop both first thing in the morning and last thing at night to train. Dust rounds would fire into the night sky, exploding in a variety of colours that illuminated the whole campus with brilliant flashes of every colour imaginable.

Day after day Yang would make the climb, fighting to ignore the agony that her multitude of bruises would cause her; determined that that day, she would finally put Jaune back in his place and reassume her spot at the top of the pecking order. In the end, she would return in defeat with a whole new collection of bruises that would serve to remind her of her failings, though she couldn't complain. Everything that she had asked of Jaune as a sparring partner, he had delivered. He gave his all in every bout, never hesitating to deliver a blow or seize upon an advantage no matter how slight. It was just as Yang wanted, no matter how painful it was, fighting against an opponent whose heart wasn't in it wouldn't help her. She had to fight against someone at their best in order to match them, and eventually surpass them.

And match him she did. By the end of the second week, she wasn't the only one returning to the dorms with an impressive collection of bruises. Nor was she the only one groaning as they made the climb each morning and night. She learned to fight with her new arm, quickly adapting to its new weight and utilising it in ways that she never could with her original arm. The metal was much more resilient than flesh and thusly it could stand up to much more of a beating. She could throw incredible amounts of force behind it without fear of harming herself through the impact. In short, she could begin to weaponise her whole arm.

With a grunt, Yang deflected yet another jab from her opponent's sword; the sparks reflecting in her eyes as the edge of his blade skittered along the hardy alloy of her prosthetic without leaving so much as a scratch. She counter attacked by flinging his weapon wide and forcing an opening towards his chest. Grinning, she threw a hefty kick at him only to be left frustrated when it was stopped at the last second by his shield. Immediately she pressed the advantage, throwing punches high to draw away his shield and kicking low to hit his legs and throw him off balance.

Jaune gave ground progressively, raising his shield and jabbing with his sword in attempts to keep her at a distance and beyond the range of her gauntlets. The shockwaves of her attacks travelled up his arms and jarred his shoulders, numbing them completely. Sweat beaded across his forehead and stuck the strands of his hair to him in a thick blonde mat. It only served to remind him of his chronic need for a haircut as time and time again it covered his eyes and blocked out the fight going on around him. Knowing that if he didn't do something soon that he would end up beaten, he lashed out with his left arm in a savage shield bash. It connected solidly and sent his opponent staggering back, forcing some space in between them.

Yang growled, pushing off of her right foot with incredible force and launching herself at him in another attack. She cocked her arm back and swung as hard as she could. He raised his shield with a slightly worried expression just before the solid fist of her new arm impacted with the face of his shield in a burst of bright red sparks. The din was thunderous as the resounding noise of their clash echoed across the whole campus in a way that no doubt pulled several students from sleep.

Jaune was launched backwards from the sheer force of the blow, his shield arm buckled under the blow and the lip of his shield smacked into his face with such power that, if it hadn't been for his aura, would have proven lethal. The blonde swordsman crumpled under the intensity of the attack and lay on the ground completely stunned and confused. The whole world felt like it was spinning and the stars wheeled overhead. By the time that he had regained his senses, the barrel of Yang's gauntlet was hovering a mere inch from the tip of his nose.

From his position it had become undeniable; Yang had won and he had lost. His options were simple, either he conceded the match on his own or she would end it by means of an incredibly painful knock-out. Above him, Yang knew that her victory was assured, evidenced solely by the wide grin that she was wearing on her face. With a proud smile, Jaune shrugged his aching shoulders and lay down his weapons in defeat. With the delight still clear to see from her expression, Yang retracted her weapons and helped her training partner back to his feet.

"Not bad, that was one hell of a punch." Jaune laughed "I thought for a moment that I might have been a goner there."

"I guess this means that Yang is back!" The brawler whooped, playfully jabbing Jaune in his arm and making him wince.

"Yeah, you sure seem to be. I mean I can hold my own against the Grimm so you definitely can. This doesn't mean that we are done training though. Your technique could still use some work I think. You leave yourself open to attacks a lot." He explained, returning his shield to its sheath form and retiring his blade for the night.

"Well yeah, I mean I'm still not as good as I used to be and I need to get even better than that if I'm gonna stand a chance against one of the four big ones for my rematch; but for now we can take it a bit easier, maybe only train once a day. That is, if Pyrrha won't mind me stealing her boyfriend just to try and beat him to a pulp every night?"

Jaune blushed a little at the mention of his partner and lover. Pyrrha had been visibly disappointed when he had told her that they would need to take a break from training together for a while so that he could work with Yang. Though after some careful explaining she had seemingly come around to the idea, knowing that it wouldn't be forever, just until Yang was back on her feet and in a position where she could train with some of the stronger fighters again on an even playing field. Regardless, Jaune knew that he would have to make up the time he had missed spending with her somehow.

Yang towelled off her face of sweat and made her way over to the railing of the rooftop and leant upon it, looking out over the campus with a satisfied smile. It felt good to finally be getting back onto her game again after what felt like an eternity as the weak link in her team. She knew that there was still a long way to go until she was back at her peak, but for the first time in a long time, it didn't feel as though it was an impossible distance to cross. She had hope.

Before she had chance to express those feelings, Jaune's scroll lit up with the notification of a new message. Expecting it to be some message from Pyrrha, he unlocked it and quickly scanned through the lines of text that appeared. Though it was not from his partner, it was from Ozpin. The smile fell from his lips and a more sombre expression took its place. He turned to Yang with a slight frown and showed her the screen and when he spoke, each word fell like a hammer blow.

"The battle lines are drawn."

* * *

 **I am actually really happy with how this chapter turned out, given the limited amount of time I had to truly work on it. There were more parts that could probably use some tweaking and undoubtedly a few grammatical or spelling mistakes, but after a month of no updates, I really wanted to put something out for you all. As always, if you enjoyed, please do follow favourite and review. Let me know what you thought of Yang's return, how was the pacing? I look forward to hearing your feedback.**

 **Thank you all so much for reading, and I will see you in the next chapter!**


	8. The Dead City

**Hello again and as always I can only offer my apologies for the delays. One would have thought that by now I would have a handle on the writing and publishing side of things but alas. I have had a fair number of issues with writing in general lately and this one came with some real writers block but at last it is done and I am happy to share it, so without any further ado, here it is.**

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 ** _"Once more into the breach, dear friends. Once more."- William Shakespeare._**

* * *

It was around an hour before dawn when Jaune pulled himself from the warm confines of his bed. He staggered through to his team's bathroom and splashed some cold water on his face to wash the final dregs of sleep from his eyes. With a sigh, he ran a hand through his hair and made efforts in vain to bring it under control. Smoothing out his hoodie, he returned to the main room to find his teammates all going about similar processes.

The four of them had slept in their gear, hoping that it would make waking up a little easier, while also allowing them a few extra minutes of precious sleep. Gathering the bag he had packed the night previous, he shouldered it and adjusted the straps for comfort. Looking around the room to find his team more or less ready, he picked up Crocea Mors and went through his mental checklist one last time. Across the hallway in team RWBY's dorm room, he knew that the four inhabitants were going through a similar routine themselves while the rest of the student body remained blissfully unaware.

Opening the door into the hall, team JNPR stepped out into the corridor to meet with their fellow fighters. Jaune gave Yang a quick nod, but otherwise made no efforts at communication. Once both rooms had been locked up, the two teams made their way down the hallways and out of the building into the pre-dawn gloom. They walked silently across the campus towards the landing pads where they found a bullhead aircraft being fuelled ready for their departure. Sitting on some ammunition crates, they awaited the completion of the ground crew's duties and watched as several boxes of both ammunition and medical supplies were loaded onboard.

In his efforts to assure the clandestine nature of the assignment, Ozpin had taken every possible step to ensure that the true objective of their mission was veiled. As such, they were to be flying on board a ship claiming to be carrying cargo and supplies between academies. It would be flying them in to their destination where the two teams would be leaving the aircraft and relying purely upon their individual 'landing strategies' in order to reach the ground safely.

A half hour after they had arrived at their aircraft the ground crew gave them the final nod and the eight students boarded the vessel. It was a tight squeeze in the main compartment as they sought to find little hollows between crates into which they could fit comfortably. Jaune gave one final glance out of the side doors before they shut. There, he saw both Ozpin and Professor Goodwitch stood on the tarmac watching the aircraft impassively. Ozpin raised one hand and slowly waved them off while Goodwitch simply watched on. Both parties knew that there was an awful lot riding on the success of the mission. Jaune gave the two senior hunters a final nod before the doors closed and the two teams were plunged into a near pitch-black darkness, broken only by the dull glow of the red running light.

Outside the claustrophobic confines of their compartment, Jaune heard the engines whir into life and rise in volume until they reached a high pitched crescendo. The ground shifted beneath their feet as the heavily burdened aircraft lumbered up and into the air at the urging of its two powerful turbine engines. Jaune sighed and leaned back against the bulkhead of the aircraft, allowing the vibrations through the steel to lull him into an uneasy sleep.

Around him, all was silent save for the whine of the engines outside. None of his fellow teenagers broke the silence as they all turned within to contemplate the realities of the mission that lay ahead. In her tiny corner of the cargo hold, Ruby occupied herself by idly treating a small patch of rust which had sprung up along the casing of her beloved weapon. Her bright silver eyes locked onto the speckles of oxidised metal as she worked, excluding all else from her thoughts. She cursed herself internally for allowing her weapon to get into this state and vowed to double her efforts in its maintenance in future; it wouldn't do for her famed scythe to fail at the most critical of moments after all.

In her chest, her heart pounded wildly. The strong desire to get it all over with agitated her like an itch that she simply couldn't scratch and that wouldn't leave her alone until their business was concluded. Once her weapon had been appropriately dealt with and its rust repaired, she wrapped her cloak about her and tried to get comfortable for the flight.

As she sat there her thoughts wandered freely through her mind. She thought of many things; how they had gotten here, what they were up against and whether or not they had any real hopes of succeeding. It occurred to her just how far out of their depth that they had all ended up being. Looking over to her sister, her gaze lingered on the prosthetic arm that the blonde wore. Once again, she found herself forced to realise just how close to the wire that they were flying. Out where they were going, even the slightest of mistakes, the most minute of hesitations could have disastrous consequences for all involved.

It was then, in the gloomy corner of the cargo hold that Ruby felt tears well up in her eyes. They flowed down her cheeks and dripped to her cloak below, slowly dampening the fabric. Her usual sense of optimism fled and left her bereft of hope in the face of what felt to be insurmountable odds. Just how was it that they could possibly hope to beat a demi-god, not once but four times? Her whole team had been decimated by just one! Her chest grew tight as panic began to set in and all of the collected emotions that she had bottled up over the past couple of weeks broke free and flooded into her heart.

Yet before she could lose herself to the emotional tempest raging in her mind, she felt a hand on her knee. It was a delicate touch, and cold, that inexplicably calmed and reassured her. Looking down she found her partner kneeling beside her, a slight smile on her face. Though the more she looked, the plainer it was to see that the smile never reached Weiss' eyes. The Heiress' icy blue orbs were filled with concern and sorrow.

Ruby contemplated that for many moments, realising that her partner and likely the whole of their combined team were feeling much the same. Dabbing at her face with a corner of her cloak, the Reaper dried her eyes and gave her best attempt at returning her partner's smile. If Weiss and the rest of her friends could hold it together and cling on to whatever fragile thread of hope remained to them, then Ruby could too. She squared her jaw and felt the tensions in her chest begin to unwind. Concentrating on keeping her breathing steady and rhythmic, she routed the panic in her heart and calmed her mind. Reaching down, she placed a slender hand over that of her partner in a gesture to show gratitude for her unwavering support. She chuckled to remember the haughty and spoilt girl that had been inexplicably exploded on the first day at Beacon Academy; how far they had come since then.

* * *

Jaune was brought back to consciousness by someone shaking his shoulder. Opening his eyes he was met with the gloom of the compartment and the familiar sound of the turbines outside fighting to keep their craft in the air. All around him, his friends climbed out of their cubby holes amidst the carefully stacked crates and stood to their feet. Over him, Ren stood with an expression that was markedly more serious than usual.

"Sorry to wake you Jaune, but it's almost time to get out there. We had best be ready to disembark." He said over the din of the engines.

Jaune nodded and heaved himself up from his makeshift quarters against the aircraft's hull and tested the weight of his bag. Shifting the straps to distribute its weight a little more comfortably, he belted on his sword and loosened its hilt in the scabbard. He wanted to be as ready for battle as was possible when the time came.

As it happened, that time was still a few long minutes off. He felt the speed of their aircraft drop back and before long the side doors opened up, allowing a blast of air into the compartment which threatened to knock the teenagers off of their feet. Leaning into the wind, Jaune tentatively made his way to the doors and looked out at the lands below them.

The sun was just beginning to crest the horizon, changing the skies from the inky black of predawn into the pale blues of early morning. Below them the land remained predominantly in twilight, waiting for the sun to burst through in an hour's time. He saw rolling hills and patchy woodland all in a patchwork of colours from pale greens and browns to grey and black. He saw rigid shapes covered in foliage which he assumed at first to be dead trees that had been overgrown with vines of ivy. Yet at closer inspection he saw them to be the remaining superstructure of buildings.

At first they were few and far between but the further along they flew, the more common they became until their aircraft passed over the suburbs of the former city. Buildings weren't so small after that, often reaching five and six stories tall. It was a whole city arrayed below them… a dead city.

Their aircraft continued to fly for a further four minutes, or so Jaune guessed, until they reached the densest part of the city. Once there, the pilot's voice burst over the internal radio system at a level which was barely audible over the combined roar of the engines and the slipstream.

"This is as close as I can get you without radar stations picking up an anomalous flight pattern. You'll have to jump here and make your way for the remainder of the way on foot. Keep your eyes open and prepare for the worst. No-one knows exactly what you will face down there, but whatever you do meet, the chances are that it won't be friendly and will want to tear you apart. Don't let them. Good luck and god speed."

It was a simple message, but one which got the point across with an uncomfortable sense of efficiency. Steadying himself, Jaune stepped up to the door in earnest and looked out at the ground rushing past below him. In that instant, fear gripped him and he nearly gave in to it. Yet, he knew the stakes were too high to turn back now. Looking around behind him, he saw Pyrrha standing just over his left shoulder with a hard look of determination etched onto her features. She gave him a quick nod, and in that instant he leapt from the aircraft.

The immediate blast of air chilled him to the bone and buffeted him terribly, throwing him into a somersault from which he struggled to recover. Throwing his arms and legs out wide he fought to stabilise his fall and slow his descent a little. Shooting a quick look behind him he saw his friends falling to the earth at regular intervals, stretching out over what was perhaps a mile to his right. But before he could pinpoint their locations, the taller buildings rose up around him and cut off his view.

Anticipating a rapid landing, Jaune turned his attentions back to the task at hand and drew his weapon. The steel glinted slightly in the growing light of day as his blade met with dawn's first light. Angling his body forwards, he drifted towards the nearest building; which turned out to be what was left of a four story apartment building. Increasingly aware of the rapidly approaching ground below, he swung his arm and drove the blade of his sword into the concrete superstructure ahead of him.

The high grade steel, coupled with a healthy dose of Jaune's aura, went through the aged masonry like a hot knife through butter and served to cut his speed of descent in what was almost an instant. The shocking change in acceleration felt as though it would tear his arm from its socket, but he grit his teeth and held onto the leather wrapped hilt for dear life. Swinging his feet in to the wall, he allowed them to catch the thick vines encasing the building's framework and further slow him to a halt just ten feet up from the deserted pavement below.

"Not bad Jaune." He told himself as he released a hefty sigh of relief "Pyrrha would be proud."

Finding himself some semi-stable footing among the vines and using his weapon as an anchor, the blonde took the opportunity to take in his surroundings and get the lay of the land. The apartment block from which he was hanging was set on the corner of a T-junction between two major streets. To his left one street ran off and out towards the suburban area. It was lined with a large number of shopfronts and bistro-style cafes, each in a differing stage of decay. Very few of their signs remained visible beneath decades of weathering and the thick layer of vines which seemed to coat nigh on everything. The pavement itself was uneven and in many places impassable, the paving slabs having been pushed around by weeds and shrubs, and in some places were shattered by monsters long forgotten. Along the way were trees placed at regular intervals along the wide pavement, but they had grown wild and unkempt after years of neglect. The actual road itself was torn up and cracked as far as the eye could see; the chassis of dead vehicles littered the way with many lying upturned or in tatters leaving Jaune to ponder whether their owners had managed to escape or not.

Behind him, a second roadway similar to the first stretched off into the distance and away in front of him. A number of smaller roads and alleyways branched off at semi-regular intervals, giving the city a well-planned and spacious feeling, despite its current state of disrepair.

To his right the sprawling metropolis came to a sudden end in favour of an expansive park. It featured a large and open plaza in which a fountain took precedence as the proud centrepiece. It was elaborate in design and featured three distinctive tiers, each decorated with fearsome monsters and brave heroes all dutifully carved out of pale white marble. Around it the paving ran off in a wide square, the corners of which seemingly once featured raised flowerbeds and rockeries. Though now, all that remained were splinters of the original flowerbeds and gravel left behind of the rockeries. Jaune sighed to see such a beautiful place reduced to such a sorry state.

Having taken stock of his surroundings he drew his sword clear of the building and, satisfied that there were no Grimm to be found, dropped the remaining ten feet to the ground below. Angling himself in the direction that he last saw his friends, he set off after them and began making his way through the dead city.

* * *

Ruby had, as usual, hit the ground running with a cloud of rose petals following close behind her. Taking quick note of her situation, she set off towards where she believed that her friends may have landed. In a peculiar way it served to remind her of the initiation ceremony at the very beginning of her adventures at Beacon. There too, she had been forced to search for her friends if she hoped to make it through in one piece. Smiling at the thought, she drew her scythe and set off at a slowed pace in search of the others. While she didn't doubt that it would be far quicker to dash around with the use of her semblance, she didn't fancy running face first into a pack of Ursai or worse…

As she went, the only sounds to be heard were that of her boots hitting the crooked paving underfoot and the wind howling between the shells of buildings around her. There was neither hide nor hair of anything inherently hostile to be seen, something which set her on edge. Every slight sound made her jump and rapidly ready herself for battle; though after hearing shutters bang in the breeze or branches squealing against the surviving panes of glass, she began to relax a little. Perhaps the city really _was_ devoid of life after all? Maybe it would be an easier mission than had been anticipated.

The explosion which shook the very foundations of the buildings around her soon disabused her of any such notion however. A great plume of smoke rose up over the buildings ahead of her, coupled with a loud boom and a concussive wave which served to shatter a few of the remaining windows. Chambering a round in Crescent Rose, she shot forward with the aid of her semblance and charged toward the point of origin for the explosion, fervently praying that she wasn't too late.

* * *

Jaune's boots slammed against the uneven paving slabs as he sprinted hard down the road, weaving in and out of wrecked vehicles and overgrown foliage alike. Ahead of him he could still see the billowing cloud of smoke and hear the distant sound of explosions. His mind raced and his breathing ran ragged as he tore down the way towards his friends and whatever enemy it was that they were fighting. His legs felt like lead by the time he finally rounded the final corner and found the source of the disturbance.

He found himself in an open plaza far larger than the one he had first landed by. It stretched on for nearly a kilometre into the distance and was packed with numerous oaks that had grown tall and wild since the city was abandoned and served to split the plaza into eight segments like those on a compass. In between them were banks of flowerbeds all overgrown with wild flowers in every hue of the rainbow. Alongside them were the remains of a number of benches that had once been carved out of a dark wood, though they had long rotten and fallen apart leaving behind small piles of what could scarcely be described as kindling.

In the centre, or what he supposed was the centre, he located the source of the commotion. A Geist stood in what Jaune assumed to be a newly created clearing and was flailing wildly at two figures that were attacking it. It had possessed a number of the aged oak trees around it and repurposed them for its vast limbs, leaving the creature towering at nearly twenty metres tall. Its arms were composed of what appeared to be steel rebar with chunks of concrete still attached, granting them the appearance of a huge club.

The two individuals assailing the Grimm were unmistakable to Jaune, if only due to their weapons. One was Nora whom toted her famed hammer and sent swing after unyielding swing at her enemy, and the other was Ruby who was zipping from treetop to treetop in an effort to keep the Geist occupied and create openings in which Nora could deliver what they hoped would be the finishing blow.

Jaune watched the two for a long moment in awe of their abilities. No matter how many times he had seen them fight, their prowess in battle never ceased to leave him stunned and feeling rather inadequate by comparison. Drawing his sword with a groan, he took a moment and prepared himself to join the fray when footsteps behind him gave him pause. Whipping around with his sword raised he was met with the sight of Pyrrha running down the street towards him.

For a long moment he watched her approach, blue eyes growing wide at the sight. Her scarlet hair flowed behind her as she ran and the trim of her armour caught the morning sun and shone bright. She seemed the very image of a warrior goddess send down from the heavens. She was both beautiful and powerful and it made his heart beat all the faster because of it. Subconsciously, he lowered his weapons and waited for her to draw level with him before joining her in a run towards the enemy.

"It didn't take Nora long to find herself some trouble!" He called to her as they ran. She turned to him with a wry smile and nodded.

"You should know by now Jaune, that there's never a dull moment in team Juniper." She replied with a laugh.

Together, the two of them charged into the plaza on a collision course with the monster up ahead. There was no longer any trace of fear or trepidation in Jaune's heart as he ran. Instead, it had been replaced by an unfeeling sense of duty both to his friends and the world at large. With each step his mind became clearer and calm, there was a great deal more at stake than simply his own well-being. To him, this Geist was just one more hurdle set on the path before him. He would neither allow it to stop or slow him in his mission; and should it try it would be destroyed with extreme prejudice. He just had to figure out how.

* * *

Both Jaune and his partner burst into a clearing in the centre of the plaza and got their first real look at the opponent that they were facing. It had but one single eye, glowing with malice in the centre of a bone white mask. Its torso had taken on the appearance of bark from the old and gnarled trees under its possession, two of which formed its legs with tangled roots sprouted from the bottom like so many twisted toes. Clumps of soil rained down with every step that it took.

Jaune's eyes frantically scanned its form for any sign of a potential weak point or vulnerability but none presented themselves, much to his chagrin. Deciding to test its hide for himself, Jaune charged forward and closed the gap. Swinging his sword, he brought its edge to bear against one of the Geist's towering legs only to be rewarded with a spray of bark chips for his efforts. Diving back to avoid a reactionary swipe of its rebar club, he withdrew to a safer distance beside his partner.

"That bark is hard as stone… I don't think we can do anything against it through direct attacks with our weapons." He explained, frustration creeping into his voice. He looked down at his family's ancestral weapon and sighed, saddened to find it ineffective in another situation and vowing to look into augmenting it somehow.

With another thunderous explosion, Nora brought her hammer down yet again against the Geist's hardened exterior before using the recoil of her grenades to propel herself away and out of reach of its counter attack. Fortuitously she landed not far from Jaune and Pyrrha, which a quick glance to her side revealed. Running over and offering a playful salute to her leader, she greeted her teammates.

"Hey guys, look what I found to play with! It sure is one tough customer!" She giggled, hefting her hammer and resting it on one shoulder. Despite her usual exuberance, Jaune could see that she was beginning to tire. Sweat beaded her brow and her smile was slightly less than its usual.

"Sorry to break up the reunion, but could I get a little help here?!" Ruby cried, still zipping from treetop to treetop and peppering the Geist with a storm of gunfire from her scythe. Turning to face her, Jaune watched as she sent a further three rounds downrange before disappearing in a cloud of rose petals and repeating the procedure.

Nodding to his teammates, they readied their weapons and charged again. The three of them approached one of its giant legs and attacked. Not wanting a repeat of his earlier ineffective attack, Jaune tapped into his vast reserves of aura and channelled them into his sword. The metal glowed white hot as he swung it with all of his strength. The sword made contact and jarred his arm, numbing him from shoulder to wrist and leaving him gritting his teeth in pain. Looking at the bark he checked to see if any damage had been done, only to find that he hadn't left so much as a scratch.

Beside him, both Nora and Pyrrha launched attacks of their own with both Xiphos and Warhammer alike. Pyrrha's blade skittered across the hardened wood without effect, whilst Magnhild connected solidly with a dull thump. Jaune was preparing to retreat when he heard the sound of wood splitting off to his left. Turning he watched as cracks spread out along the bark and up the tree from its foot to the very top. It wasn't impervious after all!

Before they could attack again, the Geist's concrete club came swinging down at them. The three of them scarcely managed to dodge the attack, getting out of its way just in time for it to slam into the cold stone underfoot. The shockwave visibly rippled out and knocked the three teenagers to their feet in a cloud of dust and powdered masonry.

Using the cloud as a screen, Jaune pulled himself upright with a grunt and retreated with his teammates before a second attack could find them and paint the plaza with their insides. Shaking his arm to ward off the numbness, Jaune glared at the Geist in futility. He watched its movements for a long moment and tried to discern patterns in its movements as Pyrrha had taught him to so long ago. He watched for anything that might betray any kind of weakness ahead of their next combined assault.

Just as they raised their weapons in readiness to attack again, Jaune thought he noticed a slight chink in its seemingly impervious armour. A few moments more observation confirmed his suspicions when the hulking beast staggered forwards to swipe at Ruby; it was limping, Nora's last attack must have done more than he had previously thought. The revelation bolstered the blonde's spirits as victory began to seem more and more achievable. Quickly, he informed his teammates of his observations and laid out the outlines of a plan.

"Remember, if we cut the head off the snake, then the body will die." He declared with a sense of finality. They nodded in return and charged for the Geist, angling directly for its weakened leg.

Up in the trees, Ruby watched the battlefield with intense silver eyes. She watched as her friends charged the creature, in a direct beeline for its left leg, just as they had twice before. Confusion played about her expression as her eyes wandered across their target, until they finally came to rest on the network of cracks and splits running the length of its limb. Understanding crossed her face as she sent another hail of gunfire sailing at it. If they could cripple its mobility, then it would become a sitting target and be at their mercy.

She watched intently as Nora leapt onto Pyrrha's shield midstride only to be launched even higher into the air. The Valkyrie hefted her weapon high before coming down in a sweeping somersault, gaining momentum with each spin until her hammer was little more than a deadly blur. Seeing the impending attack, the Geist moved to block and for the briefest of instants it left its face unguarded. Seizing the opening without hesitation, Ruby kicked off of her tree branch at the full speed her semblance would allow. She shot across the distance at near the speed of sound and swung her scythe for her foe's single red eye.

Time seemed to slow down as her weapon closed with its target, only to be met with an impassable wall of concrete instead. Sparks flew off in a glorious conflagration as the Geist blocked her attack. Confusion spread across her face as she kicked off and retreated again. Looking over to her right, she saw Nora's hammer connect in a ball of fire. At first she thought that perhaps there wasn't enough force behind the attack, but even as she watched the weakened tree trunk gave way under the mighty blow and splintered into a million deadly shards that peppered the ground below. Comprehension dawned in Ruby's mind as it all became clear to her; the Geist had sacrificed its limb for the sake of protecting its face from her attack. She scarcely waited for her feet to reach the ground before kicking off again and sprinting over to her friends.

"It's the face! The Geist's weak point is its face! I'll make the opening but you had better be ready for it, we may not get another chance before it repairs itself!" She shouted above the din of battle. Behind her, the Geist was struggling to stand on what was left of its leg and failing miserably. Vicious hisses emanated from the monster as it struggled.

"Aim for the face, got it!" Jaune shouted his reply before charging with his team again. They ran at full tilt as the monster thrashed violently, uprooting whole trees with a single swipe of its club arm. Jaune set his teeth in a savage snarl as they approached, determined to put an end to things once and for all.

Off in the distance he watched Ruby setting up for another attack and knew that timing would be of paramount importance to their success. Once they were close enough he barked a simple command to his teammates.

"Hammer and nail!"

Forming a platform with his shield, he propelled Nora high into the air. Beside him, Pyrrha shifted her weapon into its javelin form and launched it high up beside the leaping Valkyrie. Jaune's eyes locked onto Ruby as she fired herself like a giant crimson bullet straight for the Geist's mask, yet again. As before, the Geist raised its arms to defend itself, leaving a slight opening to its exposed side. With a giggle up above, Nora swung her hammer and caught Miló square on its end with a loud metallic ring.

From the force of her strike, the javelin shot off almost faster than the eye could follow straight for the Geist's mask. Jaune watched with horror as the creature began to adjust its defences to block the attack once again, fearing that they had missed their chance. Time seemed to slow to a standstill as the javelin flew unerringly towards its target, even as the available opening grew ever smaller.

Finally, after what felt like a millennium, the javelin passed through what remained of the gap. A shower of sparks flew off in all directions as its blade grazed against the Geist's concrete and steel arms before driving itself through the monster's face. There was no sound as the javelin found home, no final death throes, just silence. All in an instant, the Geist stopped moving. Its possessed limbs fell to earth with a final clamour and sent clouds of dust billowing up, yet when the clouds settled and the air became still, only the four teenagers remained; living and victorious.

* * *

 **And there it is, the battles have begun and four hunters still remain missing. Who knows what adventures await them in the ruins of the dead city? I thank you all wholeheartedly for your incredible patience with this story. I have begun work on the next chapter and already have about a fifth of it drafted so that should be along reasonably soon. I hope that you all enjoyed this chapter, if you did then please do follow and favourite. By all means leave a review and let me know what you think, I love reading through the feedback whether good or bad as it presents the opportunity to really improve on my writing.**

 **That's all from me for this chapter, I hope you are all well and as always, I'll see you all in the next chapter.**


	9. New Perceptions, and Plans in the Making

' _ **Do not judge by appearances; a rich heart may be under a poor coat.'- Scottish Proverb**_

* * *

Thick black smoke was still rising from the Geist's remains when the dust finally settled. With a sigh of relief, Jaune collapsed back into a heap on the floor and tried to bring his breathing under control while he waited for his friends and teammates to come and join him. His cerulean eyes wandered over the destruction that their latest opponent had wrought with a saddened look. Trees had been uprooted and masonry converted to dust. In a way, it saddened him a great deal to see that the park which had lain undisturbed for well over a decade had been utterly destroyed and left unrecognisable in a matter of mere minutes.

His friends settled themselves beside him with tired groans as they set about tending the variety of cuts, scrapes and scratches that they had accumulated during the fight. He looked them all over with a feeling of relief as he confirmed that none of them had sustained injuries beyond those of a minor nature. Yet, despite the fact that they had made it through relatively unscathed, he had a nagging feeling that things were to get infinitely worse before it was all over.

"We should really get moving and try to find the others." He said in a low voice once they had all caught their breath again. "We are strongest when we are all together, and we need to find somewhere safe to camp before nightfall."

"Never knew you cared so much Vomit Boy!"

Wheeling around with a hand on the hilt of his sword, he was greeted by the sight of Yang and Weiss entering the clearing. Both of them offered cursory glances at the damage around them before turning back to their friends and finally settling on the blonde. For the second time in as many minutes, Jaune felt relief was over him.

"Glad to see you all made it down safely. Sorry we couldn't help out in dealing with that thing, but we had issues of our own to deal with." Weiss apologised before sitting herself down beside her partner.

"Have you seen any sign of Blake or Ren?" Ruby asked, bringing their conversation back onto the task at hand. But Weiss only shook her head in reply.

"Not since we made the jump. I saw them both heading towards a landing just a short way north of here but after that I ran into Yang and we saw the huge explosion and that was where we headed. I'm sure that they are doing just fine though; they are both excellent fighters and more than capable of keeping a low profile. I have no doubts that they will find us before long."

Jaune nodded and felt somewhat reassured to know that Ren was likely already with Blake, although he couldn't deny that he would much have preferred to have all seven of his teammates by his side in case their assignment should take a turn for the worse. Regardless, he dismissed it, they had a job to do and it wouldn't do to get sentimental about it.

The six of them took a quick stock of their supplies that had survived the jump and redistributed the weight out amongst themselves. Once contented with their kit, they set out towards their objective using a digital map that Ozpin had compiled for them as their guide. Despite all of the technology that Beacon had available, the map itself was little more than the original city plans with a large circle drawn over it to indicate the area in which they would have to search for their main objective. As they walked, Jaune couldn't help but wonder at the state of their two missing persons. He hoped that they would seize the initiative and head towards their end goal in hopes of meeting up further down the line.

As it happened, they found both Blake and Ren much sooner than expected. The two stealthier members of their contingent materialised from a darkened side alley not five minutes after the six had left the park in which they killed the Geist. The reunion was swift, but despite its speed, it was a simple matter to spot the relief on the teenagers' faces at seeing their friends alive and well.

"This whole area is crawling with lesser Grimm of all types. If we wish to avoid them, then we would do well to stick to the backstreets and alleyways where it is harder for them to go." Blake explained, marking an alternative route upon their digital readout of the city. A yellow line appeared from their current location and led straight to the search area. It twisted and turned like a snake and avoided all of the major streets and avenues in favour of back alleys, side passages and smaller roads.

"I don't understand. The city has been abandoned for years. Why are there still so many Grimm here? Why do they stay?" Yang asked, her lilac eyes expressing a sense of confusion that they all felt. All of them save for Ren.

"Well, when the Grimm got into the city it was a slaughter. Everyone who lived here turned on each other for any chance at an escape, but ultimately it led to them all being hunted down one by one. The Grimm are drawn to negative emotions and the negativity that this city exhibited during those days was like a shining beacon to them. I guess that even now, after all these years; enough negative energy still remains to draw them in. It is the ultimate defence for the council to hide their deepest secrets behind." Ren explained with a cold look to his eyes that Jaune had never seen before. It sent chills running down each of their spines as images were conjured in the mind of the panic and desperation that the city had been drowned in.

Not wishing to dwell on it any longer than he had to, Jaune was the first to set off again. Following the new path that Blake had plotted out for them, they turned off of the main street and headed down an alley between what appeared to have been an old arcade and florists. Peering through the remaining filthy windows, Jaune could see the video game cabinets still standing there as if waiting for someone to stroll in and pick up their game where it had left off.

* * *

Jaune could feel frustration rising within him as the eight of them made their way down the various alleyways between the crumbling buildings. Their progress had not been so much as half of what he had hoped it would be. They had decided early on that it would be wisest to avoid confrontation with the myriad of Grimm occupying the city and instead save their energy for whatever perils awaited them at the vault. More often than not, this meant that they would find themselves ducking behind walls or dumpsters to stay out of sight of unfriendly eyes.

Blake and Ren went ahead, their stealthier demeanour making them the ideal scouts. Jaune watched the two of them with awe as they moved, marvelling at just how silent and inconspicuous that they could be. They drifted from shadow to shadow, rarely staying in plain sight for more than an instant at a time. Where possible, they routed around any Grimm that served to block their way but in the rare instance that they were seen, the two fighters would swoop in and put an end to their foe long before any alarm could be raised.

By nightfall, they had made what Jaune saw to be a disappointing amount of progress. Ever present in his mind was the fact that their window of opportunity was rapidly coming to a close. Their pick up would be arriving in little over a day and a half, and during that time the eight of them not only had to fight through a city of monsters, but also break into a highly secure government installation guarded by gods only knew what, and then fight back across the city to their evacuation point. It seemed an almost insurmountable task.

He sighed and put those thoughts from his mind as he lay out his bedroll. There was no secret that it would be an uncomfortable night. With the evening chill rolling in they had made the executive decision to forgo a fire in favour of trying to maintain as low a profile as possible. While there were of course still the Grimm to contend with, they had no way of knowing what security precautions that the Vale council had set up throughout the city. Looking out over the city, Jaune felt a chill roll down his spine and shivered uncomfortably. He couldn't help but feel as though they were being watched by some unseen individual, though whether it was benign or not he simply had no idea.

They had settled upon making camp on the fourth floor of an old residential building. The thinking had been that by elevating themselves, they would be shielded from any unfriendly eyes at the street level. Any Grimm which did get too inquisitive could then be dealt with at any one of the many chokepoints leading up to their hiding spot. It seemed like the ideal place to set up for a night of what was likely to be fitful sleep.

They drew lots for the first watches of the night and both Jaune and Blake drew the short straw. Gathering up a second hoodie from his bag, Jaune moved to join her at one of the windows where she was already sat on an old writer's desk, staring out at the world below. The blonde gave the outside world a quick glance but couldn't see anywhere near as much in the failing light as Blake could with her enhanced vision. Instead, he settled himself on the floor beside the window and kept his eyes focussed on the doorway.

The night was veiled, with a black moon and only a handful of stars peeking out from behind the clouds to provide them with any kind of light by which to see. Chill winds rolled through the dead city, howling eerily as they passed through the broken shopfronts and gaps between the buildings. Beside him, Jaune heard Blake audibly shiver and turned to face her. Her pale skin seemed to glow by what little light the stars provided and her eyes shone like fire in the gloom. She was sat completely still and unmoving; indeed the only proof that she was still alive was the light puffs of steam as her breaths met with the cold evening air.

He held up his reserve hoodie in the gloom and looked it over for a long minute and made sure it was clean before holding it out to her. The movement out of the corner of her eye seemed to catch her attention. Turning to face him, she looked first at him and then his offering. Golden eyes seemed to bore right through him to his very soul as though suspicious of his motivations. Minutes passed and Jaune was contemplating retracting his offer when at last she reached out and tentatively took it from him. It was almost as though she seemed afraid that he might snatch it away from her again before she could possibly put it on. For a moment in the gloom he could have sworn that he heard her mewl softly as she slipped the garment over her head.

Pulling at the strings by the neckline, Blake drew the hoodie in as close around her as she could and savoured the warmth which it provided. In a rare display of favour, she gave Jaune a quick smile before turning her gaze back to the city below and watching for any signs of movement heading in their direction. Sighing softly to herself she knew it was going to be a markedly long night with very little to break the tedium. Where normally she might have turned inward to her thoughts and pondered some of the greater problems within her life, for once she chose not to, with their situation seeming so much more tenuous than usual, she opted for something entirely out of character; she opted for social interaction.

"Jaune… Do you think we are really the best people for this task?" She asked softly, keeping her voice scarcely above a whisper so as to avoid disturbing their sleeping teammates. Jaune looked at her in surprise and paused in his actions, his oiling cloth hovering over the cold steel of his ancestral weapon. He pondered her question for a long moment, mulling it over and trying to decide how best to reply.

"Honestly Blake, I don't know" He began slowly "But If I had to guess, I would say that Ozpin wouldn't send us out here unless he truly believed that we were the right people for the job. I mean he is betting a lot on us to achieve this."

"I know that, and it's not that I don't trust his judgement, it's just… We aren't professionals. We're students, and only halfway through our training at best. Why would we be the ones that he would send?"

Again Jaune was silent as he collected his thoughts on her new question. Admittedly it was a quandary that he had asked himself a number of times since their mission had begun, and it was one for which he was still fumbling for an answer. All he had were theories.

"I suppose it had to be a team of students. He wouldn't have sent us if there was the option to use a professional. It would be noticed if any of the teachers at Beacon disappeared for any length of time, and most of the freelance hunters hold allegiances to one or more of the kingdoms. He needed a team that he knew was loyal and reliable while still being a group whose absence could be believably explained. I guess that would mean us, after all we have a pretty successful track record."

She mulled over what he had said with a degree of surprise. With his bumbling exterior, it often proved easy for Blake to discount him as being the same loveable goofball that much of Beacon had come to know him as. Yet when one looked closer, Jaune definitely had his finger on the pulse of current events and was more in tune with his surroundings than people gave him credit for. The faunus felt a wave of embarrassment as she realised that she had been all too quick to corral the blonde into his stereotype like everyone else. She had often prided herself on being able to read and assess people well, but had seemingly overlooked Jaune in his entirety. Looking at him she felt a newfound degree of respect for him. He was certainly not a goofball when it came to the crunch, no indeed she thought, when it came to matters involving risk to his team the blonde was as serious as they came.

* * *

The two hours of their watch passed uneventfully as the two sat and shared quiet conversation with one another. For Jaune it was an eye opening experience as he finally got to see an aspect of Blake's personality that had otherwise always been shielded from him. Once the two hours of their watch had passed, Jaune sheathed his sword and stiffly pulled himself up to his feet. He paced for a moment and sought to shake the numbness from his legs after so long sat on the hard floor of the gutted apartment. Behind him, Blake gave a slight sigh of disappointment that took her aback. She was surprised to find herself disappointed at the prospect of cutting short her conversations with Jaune, now that she had come to know a new side to him. Moving over to their sleeping friends Jaune gently shook the next watch, Pyrrha and Nora, awake.

"Sorry to wake you both" He whispered to the two of them "It's your watch."

Blake watched him with an odd degree of fascination as he interacted with his teammates. It was clear to her that there existed a bond between the three of them that could not be put into words. It was a strong feeling of mutual trust and adoration that no amount of hardship could ever put asunder. It was just alike that which Blake herself shared with her teammates, and yet in a way she couldn't help but envy it. To her it seemed as though there were no secrets held between them, that they knew all there was to know of one another. That much Blake knew she couldn't have. There was simply too much in her past for her to comfortably share. After all, her years among the white fang had led to her doing a number of unspeakable things that still brought her feelings of crushing shame.

With the new watch having been woken, Blake retreated from her position by the window to allow them in. Laying out her weapon beside her bedroll, she was about to retire for the night when she noticed that she was still wearing Jaune's hoodie. Her first thought was to return it to him, yet when she saw him already asleep she dared not wake him. Looking around, her eyes landed on Pyrrha. The champion was sat beside the window where Jaune had been mere minutes before hand. As an icy breeze swept through Blake saw her shiver ever so slightly. To anyone around the movement would have gone unnoticed given its nigh on imperceptible nature, but not Blake.

Shuffling over as quietly as she could, the faunus removed the hoodie; immediately feeling the drop in temperature and held it out; passing it over to the redhead with a slight smile. Pyrrha took the hoodie and looked at it with an expression of recognition before slipping it on and over her head in silence.

"Jaune gave it to me, he noticed I was cold and handed it over without as much as a second thought." She explained with an easy smile. Her eyes flashed as she spoke. "He is a great guy. He may put out there that he is this clumsy goofball that we all know and love, but behind that he is something else, something indescribably… Jaune. You're lucky to have someone like him looking out for you."

Slight colour rose to Blake's cheeks as she spoke in a manner so far outside of her usual character. It was an unusual feeling for her to speak so candidly, and while she had no idea what had brought on the desire to do so, she felt as though it were the right thing to have done in the moment. Besides, she held complete belief in what she had said, and that conviction bolstered her courage in sharing such thoughts.

"We really are…" Pyrrha replied with a proud smile, her emerald eyes travelling to where her partner lay asleep only a few scant feet away. Blake chuckled softly before turning in for the night; of course Pyrrha knew how lucky she was. She had seen Jaune for what he truly was long before any of them had thought to give him as much as the time of day.

As she finally closed her eyes and the fatigue of the days events washed over her, Blake drifted off into a deep sleep. Her last thoughts were of the blonde and just how wrong her perceptions of him had been for so long. Something inside her felt as though Jaune would be the key to them all surviving the wars to come. It was a gut instinct that came from nowhere, and as she lay there she swore never to underestimate him again.

* * *

Morning broke across the city and pulled Jaune from the realms of his dreams. Opening his eyes and cringing at the bright light of sunrise, he frantically rubbed his eyes. Looking around he saw that save for Ren and Yang, who were on watch, he was the only one awake. The night had been a rather uncomfortable one as the floor was unyielding and the cold winds of the night had kept him shivering, no matter how hard he tried to ward them off. In total he estimated that he had managed to get perhaps four or five hours of sleep at best and in a city swarming with savage monsters, that was not good.

Climbing from his bedroll, he gave them both a nod by way of greeting before moving around their makeshift camp and waking the others. They came to fairly quickly, having clearly suffered a similar set of problems throughout the night. Pyrrha crawled from her sleeping bag and Jaune was surprised to see her wearing his spare hoodie still. It practically swamped his lover's slender form in a way that could only be described as 'cute'. She shot him a quick smile before stretching out the cramps and numbness brought on by a night sleeping on the hard floor.

Their group ate a hurried breakfast of gruel made predominantly of oats and luke warm water. It was far from pleasant, but given that they couldn't afford to risk having a fire, it was the best they could do. Jaune shuddered as he spooned another dose of their meagre breakfast into his mouth, wishing fervently for a simple pinch of sugar, anything to make the gruel that little bit more enjoyable. Around him, the others seemed to be having similar thoughts; not least was Nora who looked as though she had to fight the urge to gag with every bite that she ate.

Once their breakfast was done with, the eight of them climbed back to their feet and broke camp. They hurriedly packed away their supplies and ran a quick inventory before shouldering their bags and preparing for another day's march. Jaune looked on at the process with a watchful eye. He made a mental note of the levels of both ammunition and dust that they had and frowned. It would not be enough were they to find themselves in any real trouble.

Blake and Ren led the way down through the apartment block and out onto the streets again. They painstakingly made sure that the road was clear before making a break out into the open and ducking into an alleyway once again. Jaune and the others followed after at full tilt, the blonde anticipating an attack with every step he took away from the old building. Yet, aside from a small nevermore that circled overhead, there were no Grimm in sight.

Opening up their map of the city, Ren and Blake debated a route for a few moments before reaching an agreement on the best path available to them. Sharing it with the others and receiving unanimous approval, the two led their party out into the city again.

This time, they progressed much faster having learned from the previous day's mistakes. By the time of midmorning, they had covered seven miles and Jaune was pleased to note that they were more than half way towards their destination. He followed the main group as the rear guard with one hand permanently resting on the pommel of his sword.

By late afternoon Ren and Blake came to a stop and turned to face their friends with sombre expressions. Up ahead the alleyway continued on before taking a ninety degree turn to the right and heading off to areas unknown. Jaune pulled up his map quickly and was surprised to find them well within the indicated circle for their objective's search area. Seeing such data he looked at the two stealthier members of their group with curiosity and wondered why they had seen fit to halt their momentum.

"We have put us well within the search region for the Vault." Blake explained as curiosity spread throughout the group as to their unplanned rest stop.

"That's good, so when do we start looking for it? The sooner we find it, the sooner we can get out of here." Yang said.

"We shouldn't rush into it just yet. We should come up with a plan before moving on out again. We can't just run around inside the search area without a strategy, it would end up wasting far more time than it saved." Weiss retorted, trying to temper the brawler's eager nature.

"I agree." Blake stated in a blunt manner. "The area we have to search is nearly three square miles and we don't even know what we are looking for. If we want to have any chance of making it to the evacuation point in time, we need to come up with a decent search plan."

Listening to their points, it was Ruby's turn to join the conversation. The tiny reaper stepped into the centre of their group and moved to stand beside Blake and Weiss. Her silver eyes passed over the group, looking at each individual one by one.

"It will be getting dark soon." She said "Let's get inside and come up with a plan. We are too exposed to stay here long without trouble finding us."

With that, the conversation was put on hold and their group hastily moved out and began scouting for a suitable shelter in which to establish a basecamp for their search. Using her new prosthetic arm, Yang easily broke the lock on the back door to one which they all determined to be sufficient for their needs.

Steel shutters were drawn down over the windows and provided them with some degree of protection from enemies outside. The inside looked as though the owner had only popped out for a few minutes and could be back at any moment. Tables were still set out across the serving floor in an orderly fashion almost as if they still waited for customers to stroll in and take their seats. A wide solid wood counter was set up against one of the back corners of the room, behind which were stacks of white crockery covered in thick blankets of dust. Bags of coffee beans still lay stowed under the countertops in readiness for grinding. It was a sad sight indeed.

They pushed a number of tables together in the centre of the room and gathered round while Jaune placed his scroll on the table and tapped some commands into the screen. There was a brief pause before the device displayed a digital map of the city across the tables. Tapping a few more commands in, he zoomed in on the map so that it only displayed their search area.

"Okay, this is where we are." He said, pointing to an area of the map indicated by a pulsating red dot. Continuing, he gestured to a wider swathe of the display "And somewhere around here is the Vault, which means that we are going to have to search for it and infiltrate it, all within a very limited timespan."

"And how is it that you propose we cover all of that ground in time to make our ride home? The only way we can properly cover it all is if we each took off in a different direction. The problem then isn't just finding the Vault; it's also fighting any nasties we meet along the way." Yang said dismissively, her violet eyes boring into her fellow blonde.

"That might not be entirely necessary. The Vault must be built in a fairly large installation, and that can potentially narrow down our area of search by quite a bit." Weiss interjected, stepping forward to lean over the table and study the map a little more closely.

"How can you be so sure it's so large? It could be built underground and predominantly out of sight from both the air and ground." Blake countered, she was sat in a nearby corner and watching the exchange intently.

"We can be sure because of what it is. Ozpin himself said that the contents of the Vault were of such import that the Vale council were willing to build it way out here in an area that is completely overflowing with Grimm. Following that, we can also be sure that the council will have manned such an installation with live soldiers as opposed to Atlas tech robotics so as to avoid any potential leak of sensitive data to the other kingdoms." The heiress explained with a knowing smile.

"That would make some sense. It could also explain the continued presence of such numbers of Grimm within the city, even so long after everyone living here was reported as either missing or killed. I mean, no soldier in any military is likely to be happy about being stationed in such a monument to failed ambition, especially not when it is packed to the rafters with monsters that want nothing more than to eat them." Pyrrha continued the argument.

"Exactly. This would also rule out the Vault's installation being built underground as it would need resupplying by air, and as such, there has to be space to land aircraft within the base." Weiss continued. "No military in the world is keen to lose either an aircraft or its crew to the Grimm out here. It would raise too many questions back in the kingdoms. Therefore the landing pad has to be completely secure and within the base itself."

Jaune looked on in amazement as she spoke. It all seemed so obvious now that she explained it, so much so that he felt nought but frustration at not having realised it sooner. Even as he watched, Weiss tapped away at his scroll and outlined two squares of land in gold on the map.

"There." She said with a smug grin "Factoring in the requires space to land and refuel a standard bullhead aircraft, we can say for certain that the base must be in one of these two areas."

Ruby stepped up to the table and quickly glanced over the map. The bright blue display reflected in her silver eyes as she quickly calculated a course of action.

"Well thanks to Weiss we know where we have to look." She beamed with pride "There are two places to look and we have two teams. We should split up and head out to investigate one of the two zones. Once one of us has found the target, message the other for back-up. We will have to wait for darkness if we want the best chance of getting in without being spotted. We don't have long so we will need to move quickly and quietly before running back to the pick-up point through the night; any questions?"

She paused for a long moment and scanned the seven of them stood around the room. When no questions were forthcoming she drew her weapon and looked at them with her most mischievous grin and deactivating the map.

"Alright then, lets go!" She cheered excitedly.

Jaune climbed to his feet and collected his scroll from the table with a sense of resignation. Whatever happened from this point on was completely at mercy to the whims of next few minutes were spent sifting through their kit and choosing only the supplies that they would most need for the night ahead. They each went over the plan one more time and assigned a search area to each of the teams and straightened out any final issues with the plan. With the task ahead plotted out to the detail, he looked over his teammates and gave them all a quick nod. Leading the way with his weapon drawn, he and his team slipped out the back door to begin their search; they slipped away and became mere spectres in the gathering gloom.

* * *

 **So there it is, the next chapter in line. You may be happy to hear that I have already written the next chapter and that it will be published as soon as I have proofed it all. I am trying to introduce an OC that ties together the various plot strands that I have cast about so far. I really hope that you will enjoy it when it is posted and published. But for now, thank you all ever so much for reading. If you enjoyed this chapter, please favourite and follow. Leave a review and let me know what you thought.**

 **As always, I will see you all in the next chapter.**


	10. A Hidden Hand

**Hello everyone, and a warm welcome back to the tale. This one was really fun to write and so I really hope you enjoy it!**

* * *

 _ **'A Hidden Connection is Stronger than an Obvious One'- Heraclitus of Ephesus**_

* * *

Councilwoman Eliza Saunders looked out of her office window and sighed. Her violet eyes remained affixed on the horizon but not truly paying attention to it. Rather, it was as though she was trying to look beyond it and into the great unknown. It was out there that she knew a brave team of teenagers were fighting against all manner of evils in the hopes of combating a greater calamity than any of the innocent people of Vale could have possibly imagined, and in truth it made her sick to her stomach. Turning away from the scenery, she cast her gaze around her personal office.

It was quite small by the standards of most bureaucrats, and had often left her as the butt of many jokes as a result. Not that she cared one iota for such jests of course. As a government official she failed to see just what difference that the size of her office made. In her mind it was simply an idle bargaining chip used in petty competitions as a way for the social and political elite to gauge their success against one another; hardly the reason that she had chosen a career in politics. No, the way she saw it, her successes more than spoke for themselves.

She was by far the youngest person with a seat on the Vale council by almost a clear decade, a subject which irrationally agitated the other members. She had been elected into office on a surge of public support and had won her constituency seat by a landslide in one of the most successful campaigns that the kingdom had ever seen. Once in office she had made no friends in her pursuit of the desires put to her by her electorate and had managed to secure increased funding for publc facilities and healthcare in the most run down areas. She was universally loved by her people, a factor demonstrated by three terms serving as representative on the council although her success was not without its drawbacks.

Long days at the office had taken their toll on her, dulling the sparkle in her once bright eyes. Repeated arguments and shouting matches with industrial lobbyists had left her with frownlines that equalled the number of any laughter lines that she had set out with. Such factors when combined with her age had left her no longer feeling like the spring chicken she had once been. Yet despite this, she was still considered a very attractive woman and endured a series of advances from would-be suitors; men whom she rejected with the indifference granted to those who have had to complete a task on repeat until it becomes reactionary.

Her office phone rang, pulling her out of her own world and crashing back to reality. She sighed and waited for the phone to ring her customary count of ten. Ordinarily she found that if the caller hung up before then, that the issue they wished to discuss wasn't nearly as pressing as they believed and as such allowed her to focus on more important matters relating to her role as a councilwoman. When the phone didn't ring off after ten, she lifted the receiver and held it to her ear. She said nothing, waiting for her caller to make themselves known instead.

"The angel queen will arrive tomorrow to spill the secrets of heaven" A smooth voice said with a level of calm that was contagious.

Eliza's expression shifted from boredom to one of acute interest. She leaned forward and hastily tapped a number of keys on her phone to switch the call over to a secure line. Satisfied that the call couldn't be tapped into she replied with the response phrase.

"Then the gods had best lock the pantry." She smirked at the bizarre cloak-and-dagger code phrases. She accepted that they were necessary for the insurance of clandestine operations, but couldn't help but wonder why they had to be so zany.

"Eliza, I thought you should like to know that our mutual friends are beginning their final stages of the operation." Ozpin replied, satisfied that he was speaking to his contact.

"Then they have found it?"

"Not quite. Judging from the message that was sent to me, they have narrowed down the search area and are closing in even as we speak. If all goes well, then they should be on their way home an hour after dawn." The headmaster's tone was blunt and business-like, but Eliza knew he was just as concerned about the success of the operation as she was.

"I have the Council bogged down in all manner of legal proceedings and committees, they will not have time to so much as look the other way for at least the next week." She replied, explaining the state of her part in the operation.

"That is good news. I appreciate what you have done, we really couldn't have managed without your help."

Eliza remained silent at his response, despite a proud smile working its way over her features. She had known Ozpin for a great many years, both professionally through her role with the council and personally from her past. She too had begun her initial training as a huntress within Beacon academy, but had opted not to chase the career after graduating. Instead, she had chosen to hunt the monsters inside the kingdom as opposed to those outside of it. Yet throughout the years and despite the odds, she had maintained a close friendship with the old headmaster.

"I trust that you will notify me of either success or failure once our flock return to the nest?" She asked after a few moments.

"You will be the first to know." He answered, hanging up the call a mere moment later.

Eliza remained at her desk for a long moment, listening to the dial tone before hanging up the receiver and turning to look out of the window once again. She knew that she had taken a terrible gamble in helping the old headmaster with his plans, plans that could both end her career in politics and result in a lengthy prison sentence for crimes against the kingdom. However, she knew it was completely worth it and held no doubts about that. In her experience, Ozpin never reached out to his most influential contacts unless he believed it to be absolutely necessary and a matter which threatened the entire kingdom.

When she finished her paperwork that evening and submitted it to the relevant authorities, Eliza retrieved her jacket from beside the door and left her office. Making her way out the door, she bid her secretary goodnight and headed down through the council building to the underground parking garage. There she found her car and quickly climbed in behind the wheel. Turning the key in the ignition, her vehicle's engine roared to life without hesitation. Easing up on the clutch she drove out and into the city on her way home. As she drove her mind wandered to the brave children out in the wilderness, and she wondered not for the first time, whether she had unwittingly helped send them to their deaths.

So absorbed was she by her concerns, that she failed to notice the long black car that followed her out of the garage.

* * *

Eliza arrived home at her usual six thirty and promptly picked up the house phone. Calling out to her usual takeout, she placed her usual order before collapsing into her couch with a tired sigh. At one stage she had been adamant about cooking for herself and insuring a healthy meal each and every night, but as her responsibilities within the council had increased over the years she had soon lost that naïve hope. Now it was little more than a pipedream, buried by the mountains of takeout that she ordered for herself. Naturally she still cooked fairly often for herself, which was partly the reason that she had maintained her figure so well. But on the nights that she remained at the office late, she would allow herself the luxury of not having to cook.

Closing her eyes, she allowed herself to doze while waiting for the familiar sound of her home's doorbell to signal that her dinner for the night had arrived. As it happened, she didn't have very long to wait as only twenty minutes later it rang throughout the house. Pulling herself off of the couch with a gargantuan effort and walking on overtired feet, she hastily opened the door to find her usual delivery boy.

He was a gangly young man in his late teens, the final signs of acne fading from his face under a light dusting of peach fuzz. His hazel eyes still shone with the innocence of youth that left Eliza feeling a little envious. His dress was lazy, a pair of khaki canvas shorts and a T-shirt emblazoned with 'The Golden Valley Noodle Bar'.

"Another late finish at the office, Councilwoman Saunders?" He inquired with a knowing smile.

"You bet on it, trying to get those wrinkle-ridden councillors to listen is like trying to force a mule to walk cross-continent. They may not like it, but I'll get them there eventually." She laughed in response.

Taking her food from him, she signed for it and slipped him a few lien as she often did. He thanked her with a final grin before turning away and returning to his car. Just before she closed the door after him, she caught sight of an unfamiliar car parked across the street. Living in a small neighbourhood, she had come to know all of her neighbours' cars and their respective owners. But this one was completely unfamiliar to her. It was a low, black sedan complete with dark tinted windows that completely blocked out any view into the interior. No distinguishing marks or scrapes could be seen along its body work.

Growing suddenly uncomfortable, she hastily closed the door and drew the bolt. Content that her home was at least a little more secure, she moved through to retake her position on the couch. Opening up the containers containing her piping hot meal, she drew out the complimentary chopsticks and hastily began to eat. Elegance and sophistication went out of the window as she ate, unaware of just how hungry she really was. It was not long before a small stack of empty containers sat in front of her. She looked at them forlornly, wishing that she had at least a little more to enjoy.

Groaning to herself, she once again got to her feet and set about clearing up the remains of her meal. With that done she moved to the upstairs of her little home and through to her bathroom. Climbing out of her stuffy business suit at the end of a day was a feeling close to pure ecstasy for Eliza, feeling like she became a lot more human and normal without it. Turning on her shower she climbed in under the stream of hot water with a smile. She could feel her whole body begin to uncoil and relax under the therapeutic effects of her shower. Sinking to the floor, she sat under the hot jets of water and closed her eyes. Allowing the water to wash away her worries and stresses she drifted into a slight doze.

* * *

When she came to again, the sun had set and all was dark outside. Cursing herself for having fallen asleep and lamenting the amount of water that she had wasted, she climbed back to her feet and hurriedly set about washing the day's grime from her body. She was midway through washing out her shoulder-length auburn hair when a dull thud sounded throughout the house. Her heart pounded at the sudden noise and by reflex her eyes snapped open. It was a move that she instantly regretted as soapy water flowed into her violet eyes and stung something rotten. Frantically she looked up into the flow of water and fought to rinse her eyes out and stem the pain.

Once done she shut off the water and climbed out, wrapping herself in a towel. Another loud thud reverberated through the house, stopping her dead as she set about towelling her hair dry. Her heart pounded in her chest. She steeled herself before opening the door to her bathroom and creeping out into the hallway beyond. She strained her ears to hear any signs of movement from downstairs, growing ever more convinced that there was someone in her home.

Yet rather than do what so many are prone to do in a time of crisis, Eliza bit back her rising panic and slipped into her bedroom where she hurriedly dressed in a loose t-shirt and sweatpants. She left the lights turned out, not wanting to give away her position and bring any intruders down on herself. Reaching under her bed she drew an old leather-bound case about five feet long, complete with silver clasps. She silently flipped them open and lifted the lid to reveal the velvet lined interior, in which was sat a sword of elegant design.

Its hilt was long enough to support a hand-and-a-half style of fighting while still being versatile enough to carry with a shield. The pommel was silver and shaped like a dragon's tail, sweeping round to protrude as a hand guard and meet with the cross guard. The cross guard itself was made into the style of a dragon's maw, with its teeth bared in a feral snarl and large garnets the colour of pitch set into its eyes. The sheath mated with it perfectly and left no visible signs of a joint. The sheath itself was tipped in the same silver as the pommel and cross guard, and bore her family's personal crest of crossed keys set into an open flame. Allowing herself to look upon her weapon for the first time in years before wrapping a slender hand about its leather wrapped hilt and drawing the blade.

It slipped soundlessly from the sheath and glinted in the gloom, reflecting what little light of the moon came through the open curtains. It was a sight that she knew well from halcyon days in her adventurous youth. Even in the dark and after so many years, she could still remember every tiny detail and flaw in her beloved weapon. Its blade was forged in a leaf fashion, its twin edges curving gently out before coming together again in a fine point. The steel had been folded time and time again until it was left with a pattern of ripples within that resembled a burst of flame straight from the cross guard. The fuller ran from cross guard to tip, with a set of characters expertly engraved into the metal around two inches up from the hilt. There, in sweeping lettering was the blade's name _'Silver Dawn'._

It was a sword unlike any other, unique in its design and conception. She recalled the time in which she had first forged it. She had locked herself away in a workshop for two weeks, toiling day and night without so much as the slightest feeling of fatigue as she shaped, heated and ground the blade into shape. The detailing alone had taken the better part of a week to complete, but once it was done she was left with a weapon without rival. It was hers, and a part of her soul resided within the blade.

With her weapon in hand, Eliza felt far more prepared to deal with the threat ahead of her. Gripping _Silver Dawn_ in a two handed grip, she slowly edged her way silently out of her room and through the house to the stairs. From memory she crept downstairs, avoiding the numerous creaking boards and arriving on the ground floor at full alert. She was shocked to find that her front door lay open, the wood around its lock converted to splinters by the force of impact and left scattered in a debris field that filled the hallway completely.

Her violet eyes straining against the gloom, Eliza crept through the sea of razor sharp splinters and through into her living room. She kept her weapon poised to deflect an attack that she was convinced would be coming and cursed the darkness that enveloped her. Cocking her head to one side she listened intently for signs of movement and rapidly tried to concoct a solid plan of action for when she found her home invaders.

Off in her kitchen she heard the shuffle of footsteps and the clatter of draws being opened and rearranged. She heard her cutlery clatter and her dishes smash against the floor and glared incredulously at her unseen opponents. Just how careless were they, to break into her home and root about the place without so much as trying to conceal their presence. Whoever they were, they clearly had no qualms about getting caught.

Padding softly on her bare feet through to the kitchen she traced the sound of the disturbance. Despite the pitch blackness, she could just about make out two slight shadowy figures rooting through her belongings and tossing them haphazardly to the floor any which way. Thankfully, they seemed thus far unaware of her presence.

Edging forward one inch at a time, she contemplated making her presence known and demanding to know just why they were in her home, but she quickly dismissed the idea as foolish. Whoever these mysterious intruders were, they were not about to stop just because they had been caught in the act. They worked with the confidence of professionals. Instead she soundlessly hoisted her sword and prepared to strike. Just a few feet more and they would be within reach, only a few meagre feet. Slowly Eliza edged forwards, her violet eyes locked onto her target.

Yet before she could bring her sword down and dispatch one of her enemies, non-lethally or otherwise, her foot struck a fragment of a broken plate and cracked it. The sound was sharp and clear in the gloom. With a level of speed that she would later describe as inhuman, her target swept themselves around and ducked out of the way of her strike. Her sword completed its arc and buried itself deep into the kitchen worktop.

Before she could respond, her assailant launched a savage kick that struck her square in the chest and sent her flying back into her living room. The air was crushed out of her lungs as she sailed into the table in the centre of the room and crushed it flat. She lay stunned, coughing and fighting to draw air into her lungs again. Everything hurt as she tried to roll herself upright and climb back to her feet.

Back on her feet and swaying unsteadily, she noted the approach of her attacker and swung her sword in the gloom. With the room in total darkness, she was left to rely on her other senses. Straining her ears to hear, she launched flurry after flurry towards wherever she believed her opponent to be, though each met with failure at striking home. Deep laughter seemed to rumble all around her as they toyed with her, like a cat plays with a mouse that it is not yet prepared to kill. Hearing a creak on the floor behind her she wheeled and aimed to bring down a slash that would cleave them in two; but the strike never began. A rough fist smashed into her gut and drove the air from her lungs; she collapsed gasping desperately for air.

Before she could recover, her attacker was on her again and pulled her to her knees. Frantically she braced herself for another attack when a fist as hard as concrete struck her jaw a moment later and sent her sprawling once again to the carpet. She groaned at the pain in her jaw and feared it might be broken. Sharp stabbing pain exploded throughout her face in time with her pulse and she could feel darkness begin to cloud her vision, even against the gloom of the room around her. She struggled to keep her mind clear and focus on the moment, knowing that if she were to fall unconscious then the likelihood was that she wouldn't wake up again.

She tried to use the dark to her advantage and made to crawl away from her attacker and create some distance with which to conduct a better defence. But the spectre in front of her advanced unerringly towards her and hauled her up by the front of her shirt. It was then that she finally made out the vague shape of animalistic ears; the attacker, whoever they were, was a faunus.

Terror welled up within her as she realised her miscalculation. She was far from on even footing with her opponent, who was both physically her superior as well as being able to see in the gloom as though it were the midday sun, and to top it all off, she had lost her only real weapon when she had been sent sprawling after her last ill-fated attack. It was quickly becoming apparent that whoever these intruders were, they were not simple burglars looking to take the silverware. Rather it seemed that they were merely using burglary as a façade to conceal their real intent; namely, putting her into an early grave.

Sensing another attack, she tensed just as another strike connected with her gut. She collapsed into a heap as her body cried out once more in protest of the abuse it was receiving. She knew that her aura could only protect her for so long before being completely exhausted, and with the unnatural strength of her foe, that deadline seemed to be approaching ever faster.

Summoning what strength and resolve was available to her, she uncoiled like a viper and launched herself towards her assailant and lashed out with all of her fury. Her attack connected solidly and knocked her opponent back a step, yet she wasn't met with the same grunt of pain that she had been hoping for. Rather, the only sound that her foe made was that same sickening laughter that she had heard earlier. Once again the icy claws of terror locked around her heart and dread began to well up in the pit of her stomach. The tiny speck of hope that still remained to her was all but snuffed out.

While she could, her mind worked overtime to try and come up with something, anything that might help her level the playing field. If only she could _see_ her opponent, it might make it a little easier to predict his movements and even launch an effective counter attack. Then her hand settled on the remains of a lamp that lay beside her and she began to formulate the beginnings of a plan. Steeling herself she leapt at where she presumed her opponent to be with the remains of the lamp in hand. As expected they were ready for her and promptly plucked her from mid-air. Lashing out with their free hand, they sent a strike that caught Eliza full in the face.

A sickening crunch, accompanied by sharp and lancing pain informed her that her nose had been broken, but she didn't allow herself to dwell on that now. She swung the base of the lamp with all of her remaining might and brought it down on their head. They hissed in pain before hurling her across the room.

Unknown to them, they had played directly into Eliza's hand. As she flew, she fought to angle her body in the right direction. Curling into herself, she hit the ground and swept into a roll straight for the room's light switch. The attacker realised all too late what was going on and flung his arms up an instant too late.

Eliza hit the switch the moment it was in reach and hastily closed her eyes. In an instant the whole room was illuminated in brilliant light but Eliza didn't wait around. Squinting against the light while her eyes adjusted, she dashed across the room and snatched up her weapon from where it lay. In a single, fluid movement she brought it around and swung it straight for her attacker. He spun away in a feeble attempt to dodge but was too late; _Silver Dawn's_ edge glinted hungrily in the light before biting hungrily and deeply into its prey.

Eliza felt nothing as her attack found home, neither revulsion nor remorse; not even resistance against her weapon's blade. The only sound was a final gasp of air before her enemy tumbled to her carpet in two distinct pieces, cleaved from his right shoulder to left hip. It was then that Eliza got her first good look at him as he lay dead on her living room floor, for indeed it was a he. He was a young faunus, as indicated by the golden cat-like ears protruding through his thick black locks. His eyes were gold and had adopted the blank and glossy stare known only to the dead. He might have looked much like the average person had it not been for the rows of teeth that he had filed into sharpened points, more likely than not for taking chunks out of an unsuspecting victim.

She looked at him coldly before turning her attention back to the second opponent. She scarcely had time to react as they came hurtling out from hiding, screaming like a banshee with untamed rage. She ducked under the first attack and frantically backed away, navigating her way backwards and out of the living room into the hallway when it felt as though she had dipped her foot in molten metal.

The shock of it had her collapse to the ground with a howl. A quick glance to her injured foot soon cleared up the confusion. A large splinter of wood some two inches long had driven itself through the bottom of her foot and straight out of the top, from which it protruded like an odd spine soaked with her blood. Horror gripped her at the sight, realising that it would likely prove her undoing, as well as relief for not having landed on any more potentially lethal fragments of her door.

As her opponent came on again, brandishing the remains of a table leg in one hand and a large kitchen knife in the other, Eliza feebly raised her sword in a last ditch effort to defend herself and prolong her life, if only for a few moments more. Her violet eyes narrowed on the point of the knife as it rapidly approached her body. Time seemed to slow down and the world took on an amazing level of clarity. She watched in morbid fascination as the object of her own demise came ever closer to finding home.

But the attack never landed. Mere inches from her face, a brilliant silver blade swept into view; accompanied by the sounds of mechanical clicks and whirring. Eliza watched on as it met with her killer just above the wrists and promptly severed the hand holding the knife. Blood sprayed from the wound in a visceral fountain as the severed appendage span through the air and landed a few feet away from her.

She was completely baffled as she watched the blade dart around and put a quick end to her opponent, converting them into little more than quivering chunks on her hall floor. Unsure of what to expect, she clung onto the hilt of her sword for dear life, not knowing for sure whether the ordeal was finally over or if there were more of them skulking about in her home.

"Don't worry, they're gone. They only sent the two of them. I guess they thought you were just the defenceless council woman that you propose to be and not one of the finest students that Beacon ever saw."

The voice came from beside her, jarring her out of her stupor. It was gruff and masculine, yet oddly familiar from days long since passed. Irrationally, it felt much like a voice that she could trust. She turned to find its source and was met with someone she had not seen in many a long year.

"Qrow Branwen. I haven't seen you since I left Beacon all those years ago. Rumour was that you were dead." She quirked an eyebrow with a smirk.

"Yeah well, you can't believe everything that you hear. I'd heard that you were aging gracefully, but here you are looking worse for wear." He replied without so much as the slightest hesitation.

"Oh yeah well, y'know, government work takes its toll on even the most spry of women. What are you doing here anyway? I mean, not that I'm not grateful for your intervention but still…"

"Oz thought that those other council types might have grown a bit suspicious when you dumped all that extra legislative work at their feet, he thought you might have been at risk and well, I guess he was right. I arrived just in time to see those two getting out of their car and head inside. I waited outside cause I thought you could handle it, when I saw you hit the deck with that splinter in your foot I figured I'd step in and give you a helping hand." He explained with an ever present grin and taking regular sips from his handy hip flask.

"Well gee, thanks." She said dryly "If this is your plan to sweep a girl of her feet then it definitely needs work. Where am I to go now anyway? It's obvious I can't stay here or at the Council building."

"Well that's simple; Oz wants you at Beacon and under his care until he has evidence enough to move against the council and confront them with the reality of what we're facing. Though I don't know how long that will be."

She nodded her understanding and without further delay she set about the process of getting ready to leave. With Qrow's help she hastily bound her foot up for the trip, not daring to remove the splinter without the required medical facilities to deal with the resultant blood flow and not trusting the tattered remains of her aura to stem it by itself. By her direction, Qrow retrieved a few select belongings as well as the sheath to her sword.

While he was busy doing that, she hobbled her way over to the faunus that she had cut in two and inspected his corpse for any identifying features. At first she believed that the search would be in vain. He had been dressed in plain black clothing with all of the labels torn out and no wallet in the pockets. She was about to give up on the search when she caught sight of the edge of a tattoo, mostly hidden by the cuff of his sleeve. Peeling back the cloth, she exposed the remainder of the design.

It was a four pointed star with a symbol for summer, winter, spring and autumn drawn at each of the points. In the centre of the star was a skull that stared right back at her. Its sightless eyes seemed to bore right into Eliza and sent wave after wave of chills down her spine. She committed the design to memory and turned her back on the corpse, not wanting to spend a moment more looking at either his expression or the tattoo on his arm.

When Qrow returned, he had all of her requested items in tow and packed them into Eliza's car. He marvelled at the fact that the mystery assailants hadn't made any notable efforts to disable the vehicle and prevent her escape. Their confidence had become arrogance, he mused, and they failed because of it. Stowing her selected belongings in the vehicle, he hurriedly returned and swept her up off of the floor before carrying her out and sitting her in the passenger seat.

Stepping around to the driver side door, he slipped in behind the wheel and hurriedly turned the key. The engine leapt to life and he reversed the car back and out of the driveway. It was a jarring ride at first as the huntsman adapted to the controls and grumbled to himself about preferring his own wings as a means of transport.

Eliza watched him for a few long minutes, wincing at every grinding of the gears and unsympathetic gear shift. As the car warmed up under the effect of the heaters, she felt the adrenaline finally wear off. The full extent of her injuries became apparent and the agony unbearable. Closing her eyes she fought to block all of the aches and pains out even as a wave of fatigue washed over her. Feeling safe at last, she relaxed her guard and entrusted her safety to Qrow, hoping it would prove a better choice than allowing him to drive. Succumbing to her fatigue she drifted into a deep, black and dreamless sleep.

* * *

 **So there you have it, a new character I have introduced in order to establish the true nature behind Ozpin's informant in the Council. I do hope that you didnt find this chapter to be too much of a jarring break from the main plot and that you enjoyed reading it. The councilwoman is the first major original character that I have introduced to the story so far so I would be interested in hearing what you thought about her.**

 **As always if you did enjoy this and havent already, please consider favouriting and following for updates on all of the new chapters. Please also drop me a review and let me know what you think.**

 **Thank you all for reading and as always I will see you all in the next chapter!**


	11. Cracking the Vault

**_Hello everyone and welcome back. It's been quite a long time but I have another chapter for you. Its a fair chunk longer than usual but as the chapter has a fair amount of plot development, I wanted to properly do it justice and address it in enough detail. But I digress, without any further ado, here it is._**

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 ** _"You have enemies? Good. That means you've stood up for something, sometime in your life"- Sir Winston Churchill_**

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Throughout the approach to their destination, the very air seemed to hold a palpable feeling of restlessness that every one of them could sense. The further they flew, the more uneasy that each of them had begun to feel. It felt as though around every corner, there was an enemy that lay in wait for the opportune moment to strike and tear both Jaune and his friends into fleshy pieces. It certainly didn't help that the moon was completely veiled and their only reassurance that they were on the right track was the map display on Jaune's scroll.

Shapes and shadows had seemed to shift around in the gloom, but whenever he stopped to try and spot them he was met with an unyielding wall of darkness through which his eyes simply couldn't see. As they walked he found himself beginning to anticipate the exact moment that things would take a turn for the worse, just as they had so many times before; but that moment never came, and it was beginning to drive him to the limits of his nerves.

He shook the thought from his mind, knowing that it would only serve to distract him from the task at hand. He took a quick look at the map in his hand to confirm that they were in the right place before closing down his scroll and stowing it in his pocket. He stared out into the darkness ahead with the faintest sliver of hope that he might be able to see something, anything really, that could indicate they had found what they were looking for but he could not.

Quite suddenly, a brief gap in the clouds opened overhead and allowed the moonlight to burst through and offer the faintest of illumination. Jaune was thankful for what he deemed to be the universe taking pity on them and immediately redoubled his efforts, not wanting to squander the opportunity.

He could scarcely make out the vague silhouettes of trees and what he believed to be an old children's play area, but saw nothing that might be deemed as being out of place in a park. Despite its normal appearance, Jaune felt frustration well up inside. He wished for the thousandth time that he shared the faunus' affinity for night vision. Every part of him seemed to scream out that he was missing something, some key detail that could prove vital to the success of their mission, but no matter how hard he looked, it never seemed to prevent its self.

Taking one last look at the open park he sighed and tentatively shuffled away from the window, over to where his teammates sat huddled together against the cold. He could just about see the faint expressions of hope on their faces as they looked up at him. Shaking his head, he took a seat among them.

"It's just too dark. I can't see anything more than a few metres out. I mean from what I could see, everything seemed pretty normal." He whispered just loud enough to be heard over the wind whistling past them. "But that's exactly to be expected from a secret government facility I guess. There could have been someone staring right back at me and I wouldn't have been any the wiser…"

"That's true, although, there isn't even the slightest sign of light out there at all. Even a top secret facility has need of lighting, and I would expect to see some kind of indication that there is a base there…" Ren answered pensively.

"I know, but we can't be sure of that if we can't actually see. I know it's risky, but I think we need to go out there and check it out for ourselves. We can't risk missing it just because we didn't investigate it properly. There is just too much at stake for that. I think one person should go out there and investigate. If they still don't find anything then we will know with for certain and we can move to join up with the others again." Jaune answered after a brief pause for thought.

His teammates nodded their approval and collected themselves ready for the scouting mission. They gathered round and drew straws to determine who would be the scout. Jaune's heart sank when he found that he had drawn the shortest and would be the one to explore.

Resigning himself to his fate, he drew his weapon once again. He cringed at just how loud the rasp of steel sounded. If anyone was about, they surely would have heard it. He froze stock still in paranoia and strained his ears for any sign of movement outside of their group. When he heard none, he relaxed ever so slightly and made his way to the door. His gut feeling was certain something was about to go wrong, his Arc intuition was screaming at him.

Fighting back against his feelings, he tried to view the situation as objectively as possible and focus on the moment. He broke the plan down into stages and centred his thoughts on the here and now. It calmed him to have something to focus all of his efforts on, at least until the next task came along. Shuffling out into the pitch black of the night, he moved with the utmost caution. His eyes darted around thm looking for any signs that might indicate that they were under attack, but none came. Even the Grimm failed to make an appearance.

His teammates hunched around the window behind him, their eyes following him as he went. The blonde reached the ten metre mark before long and passed beyond their sight into the night. Pyrrha could feel her heart pounding in her chest and felt anxiety rear its ugly head in the pit of her stomach. Over and over she prayed to anyone that would listen to return her bumbling blonde to her safely.

Opting to err on the side of caution, Jaune stepped out even further into the dark and weaved his way in between a children's roundabout and climbing frame. He had come this far, a little further surely wouldn't hurt. He continued the search until at last he found himself in what he judged to be the centre of the park. He looked around a full 360 degrees but still found no signs of a government facility, or any sign that any human had been there in decades. Heaving an audible sigh of relief, he turned away and retraced his steps back to his teammates.

It took everything that Pyrrha had to stop herself running out there after him. She was his partner wasn't she? Surely it was her duty to stand by his side at all times. Taking deep breaths, she tried to rationalise the situation. Jaune wasn't defenceless after all; he could take care of himself. She just had to trust in him. But as the time wore on and seconds turned to minutes that became much easier said than done. This wasn't a standard assignment after all. They were in a dead city with hundreds if not thousands of savage beasts that thrived in darkness. She felt her heart practically leap up to her mouth in relief when at las he re-emerged from the gloom, and she saw he was unharmed. So much so, that the moment he stepped through the door, she practically knocked him clear off of his feet in her rush to wrap her arms around him.

"There's nothing here." He stated bluntly, after returning Pyrrha's embrace. "It must be where RWBY are headed. We need to hurry over there now before things start to get loud. I don't think RWBY will wait for us once they get there. Time is running out."

With that said, he drew his scroll and hastily planned in a new route along the map interface. Gathering his equipment up he set off westwards towards where he knew team RWBY to be searching and the inevitable battle that awaited them there. He just hoped that when they arrived… it wouldn't be too late.

* * *

Blake's eyes narrowed on their target as a slight shudder of excitement worked its way along the full length of her spine. There was little doubt in her mind that what she saw was precisely what they had come looking for even if it was not quite what she had expected to find.

For a start, the installation was much smaller than she might have anticipated for an installation of such importance, though perhaps its diminutive size was to help prevent detection should any unwanted eyes fly overhead for some reason. It was regularly laid out and maybe measured eighty metres squared, ringed with a concrete wall which curiously had no gateways in it. All the way along the wall were a number of diminutive watch towers were placed at equal intervals and under each one was a peculiar concrete nodule that she guessed to be spacing markers.

The buildings around the park had mainly collapsed, presumably with the help of the Vale military. The rubble had been bulldozed back leaving a swathe of land around thirty metres wide between the wall and the nearest cover. Much of the rubble had been used as a blocker to shut down the approach from the streets leading into the more heavily built up sections of the city.

Inside were a collection of buildings clustered around an open expanse which she recognised as a landing pad for VTOL aircraft and was set up running right to the South wall. Behind the landing zone and pressed almost against the north wall was the communications building. It dominated the camp, and was a mass of aerials and antennae that oddly resembled a porcupine. A single radio mast stood alongside the building, topped with a modest radar array.

Along the eastern wall of the base were a cluster of what she assumed to be four barrack blocks, running parallel with each other and oriented east-west. A quick appraisal of their size led her to believe that each one housed at most twenty men, all of whom would be undoubtedly armed to the teeth.

Towards the west wall were an addition selection of buildings of varying shapes and sizes that Blake determined to be the officer's quarters, quartermaster's hut and mess hall. But in addition to these was another building that Blake could not identify. It didn't seem to fit in with the other buildings at all. It was little more than a low concrete structure with a steel door set into it. Behind it sat the ammunition dump. Crate upon crate of high explosives and dust supplies sat stacked under crude grey tarpaulin, waiting to be issued to the soldiers stationed in the base.

Studying the towers closer, she noted that each one was occupied by a single guardsman equipped with a pair of night-vision goggles. She cursed at that, knowing that it would make the infiltration attempt that much harder. Perhaps if her teammates all shared her ability to see clearly at night it wouldn't have been so bad, but that wasn't the case.

Remaining prone and keeping as low as was humanly possible, she shuffled herself back and away from her observation point. She was surprised at first to find that her limbs were stiff and that the cold had worked its way into her, locking up her joints. Shifting away and behind a pile of rubble she finally climbed back to her feet, confident that she was completely out of sight. Making her way away from the base and heading down a slight slope, she ducked into an apartment block and climbed a flight of stairs to find her teammates again.

They had taken up temporary residence in the building due to its position just below the crest of a hill that stood in between it and the suspected site for the base itself. The hilltop was the very place from which Blake had been watching the installation and had proven a godsend in terms of them staking out the place.

She found her teammates all huddled together in the diminutive alcove of their chosen apartment, doing their best to ward off the night's bitter chill. Not wanting to light a fire for fear of attracting unwanted attention, they had wrapped themselves in all of their sleeping bags. Blake smiled slightly at the sight but could sympathise with them a little. She had not wanted to leave them waiting so long, but knew that a thorough study of the base was vital if they wanted to achieve any kind of success. Upon hearing her approach, they all scrambled to gather their weapons until Blake came into view with her hands up.

"Relax, it's just me." She said flatly.

"Well?" Weiss asked in a wavering voice as she fought to keep her teeth from chattering.

"It's there alright." Blake replied "Though to be honest this isn't going to be easy. They have a pretty tight security cordon, they have watchmen with night-vision goggles and there are no gates in the wall. My guess is that the only way in and out for them is by air and any guards are there purely for fending off Grimm. We can vault the wall without too much of an issue I should think, but the problem is getting to it without being seen."

"Is there any way that we could sneak in beneath the radar, no matter how risky?" Ruby said with a hint of desperation in her voice.

Blake paused for a moment, reviewing the memory of what she had seen and frantically assessing it for anything that might offer them some kind of advantage for getting in and over the wall. The silence stretched from seconds into minutes before any of them spoke again.

"There might be a way." The Faunus answered at last "On the south side of the installation there is a building which has collapsed. They cleared the rubble back some way but never completely removed it, probably so that it still looked fairly normal from the air. Luckily, on our side they didn't use it to block off the streets so if we stick to it, we can use it to get into position. Unfortunately, it does mean that we will still be about thirty metres away from the wall, so Ruby will have to be the first one in. She is the only person fast enough to make it to the wall without being seen. She will have to take care of the guard in the tower before the rest of us can move we are spotted, I really don't know what we can expect. From the size of the barracks, my best guess is that they have maybe eighty soldiers."

"It doesn't look like we have much choice then. We will have to give it a try and deal with the challenges as they come. Did you see any signs of the vault when you were out there?" Yang sighed. Blake was thankful that the blonde seemed to agree to the plan, though she knew Yang was anything but happy about sending Ruby into the fray first.

"No, and that's what worries me. There are no signs of it on the surface at all. None of the buildings seem to be under any extra guard at all. I don't think they were expecting to have to deal with any potential problems beyond the standard Grimm attacks."

"Then we can use that to our advantage. With luck, these guys will have gotten bored and lax with how long they've been here. That could make our lives easier."

Blake agreed, though something about the whole situation still didn't sit quite right with her. She was convinced that their mission had to have some kind of barb in its tail that it was looking to catch them off-guard with. Her mind wandered to Jaune and the others as her team prepared themselves and headed out up the street to the crest of the hill. They crawled along the paved roads on their bellies to try and stay out of sight.

* * *

Up in one of the towers, a lone sentry sighed and scanned the surrounding city for what must have been the thousandth time. His eyes ached from the strain of staring through the goggles for so long, and his gloved hands had long since gone numb in the cold of the night air. He knew that the goggles were issued to avoid lighting up the whole base like a Christmas tree, but that didn't help to ease the headaches that they brought on in all of the soldiers on base. The green displays seemed to remove all sense of depth from the surroundings and left everything looking remarkably two dimensional.

Groaning, he lifted the goggles away from his face and rubbed at his eyes with his free hand. It didn't do much, but it did help to alleviate the strain a little. Unfortunately, that single lapse in concentration was all that was needed. In the blink of an eye a shadowy figure shot out from behind the collapsed building and straight over to the base of the wall.

The guard flipped his goggles down again and offered another glance to his surroundings. He was hardly surprised to find that there were no signs of movement. It was a dead city after all. Even the creatures of Grimm had stopped trying to bring down the base, although that was only after they had been slaughtered in their thousands. Just as he was about to turn away, the faintest flicked of movement caught his eye in the exclusion zone below his tower. Even as he looked, he saw what appeared to be petals floating daintily to the ground.

He grumbled and tapped at the side of his goggles. It must have been just another glitch, it had to be. Nothing healthy had grown in this city since the day it was abandoned, nothing but the ivy and shrubbery that slowly ground the buildings to dust and returned them to the earth. No, it was just one more glitch to add to the ever growing list of them. He sighed and checked his watch, relief washed over him when he noted that his watch was scheduled to end only another hour later. He relished the idea of collapsing into his bunk back in the barracks, one day closer to the end of his posting and his rotation back to civilisation.

Any further thoughts were cut short when a fast moving object swept into his field of view; he simply stared at it as it swept towards his face, all reactions having been stripped away by the six months of monotony that had been his deployment. By the time he realised it was the butt end of a weapon, it was too late. It connected with a solid crunch and a flash of pain. His nose broke and the world swam around him. Darkness descended and he collapsed back against the railing with a dull thump before slumping to the floor of the tower. The last thing he knew before unconsciousness took his was the taste of the blood coming from his distorted nose.

Down below the now unconscious guard, Ruby hugged the wall and waited in total silence for any indication that someone had seen. When none were forthcoming she released her bated breath and signalled for the others to move in and join her. Ruby could just about see the three others break cover and dash through the open towards her. In mere moments, they had crossed the distance and stood beside her against the wall panting.

Once again, they waited for any sign that the game was up but still no alarm was raised. Satisfied that they had not yet been caught out, Blake hefted her weapon over the top of the wall and anchored it. In a practiced movement, she hauled her lithe form up the ribbon and over the top. Dropping over the other side, she ducked into a roll to mitigate the impact. She was joined in fairly short order by the others, with Yang bringing up the rear and unhooking Gambol Shroud as she dropped over the wall.

Leaving her teammates to hide in the shadows of the towers, Blake quickly climbed up into the tower above. She kept an incredibly low profile and moved along like a ghost, once inside the tower, she hastily propped the guard up against the rail and quickly used a snatch of her ribbon to bind his limp body in place. Satisfied with her work, she made a hurried exit and re-joined her team below. Her work was good enough to buy them some time, but would never stand up to closer inspection.

By the time that Blake had returned, her team had taken an active interest in the concrete nodule under the guard tower. Blake moved over to investigate and quickly found out the cause of their fascination. Set into the side of the nodule was a large vent panel, through which a continuous stream of warm air flowed, seemingly from underground.

"Underground… of course!" She whispered, cursing herself for not noticing sooner. Of course they wouldn't have it on the surface where just anyone could get at it.

With the newfound revelation spurring them on, the foundations of a plan laid out. They opted to conduct a quick investigation of the buildings on the western side of the compound as they were deemed to most likely hiding spots for the entrance to the underground. With a firm idea of what needed to be done, Blake led the way towards the western end. She prayed over and over that the guards in the towers would be too focussed on what was outside the walls, to notice what was creeping around within.

Shifting from shadow to shadow, their team steadily worked their way along the wall until they reached the mess hall, their first stop. They Dashed away from the wall and out of sight behind the L-shaped building. Sneaking along, they found door into the kitchens and paused for breath. There they stopped to catch their breath, relieved that the first stage of their masterplan had been completed without issue.

Once they had recuperated, Blake grasped the handle of the door and tentatively opened it an inch. She peered through the gap and into the kitchen. Relief washed over her at seeing that the lights were out and that there wasn't so much as the slightest sign of life inside. Edging the door open further, Blake crept inside, signalling for the others to follow.

The search proved futile as they moved through from the kitchens into the actual dining hall. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary or out of place throughout the building, much to the frustration of the teenagers. Grumbling to themselves, the four of them finished an exhaustive search of the building before heading for the door again.

Peering out into the compound, Blake made sure the coast was clear before leading them all back out into the compound again. They closed the door behind them and dashed over to the next building in line, the quartermasters hut.

Once again they tried the door and slipped inside, fumbling around in the dark. The worked around the hut and into the stores at the back but still found no sign of a concealed entrance into the underground. What they did find was an excessive number of military fatigues folded neatly into stacks. Groaning in frustration, they gathered themselves and left the building once again. Nerves were beginning to bubble up inside her. With two buildings down they were still no closer to finding the vault, and time was quickly wasting away.

They bypassed the officer's quarters, quickly discounting it as being an unlikely place to conceal the entrance given the likelihood of someone inadvertently discovering it. That left only the peculiar concrete structure. Blake led the way, creeping past the officer's quarters as best she could with three bumbling humans, struggling to get through the dark.

They stopped in front of the door, painfully aware of how exposed they were. The door was covered in stickers warning them about chemical and radiation threats contained within. The door itself looked practically archaic with its heavy steel corroded in more than one place and the warnings faded to near illegibility. It seemed that the door had not been opened in years, but something about it didn't seem right to Blake. It all seemed a little too neat.

Reaching out, she tried the door only to find it locked, as one might have expected. She was about to give up when Weiss stepped forward with a knowing smile. She drew a vial of orange dust from her pouch and sprinkled a little of it into the key hole. Setting off the dust, it gave a subtle snapping sound and flashed briefly. Blake flinched at the sound, her eyes darting around to the guards nearby. She watched them cast cursory glances around, but none seemed to spot them.

Weiss shot her an apologetic smile and shrugged off her concerns. Shaking her head and throwing caution to the wind, she reached out and heaved on the door. She was surprised to find that it swung open easily on its hinges without so much as the slightest sound of complaint. She felt excitement well up inside as the door opened to reveal a simplistic elevator car. Mounted on the frame was a control panel with only two buttons; one for up and one for down.

With smiles on their faces, the four of them climbed into the elevator and shut the door behind them. Looking around at each other one last time before Ruby reached out and hit the button. Immediately and silently, the elevator began a smooth descent into the bowels of the earth. It wasn't a long trip as they dropped down what Blake guessed to be thirty metres.

Ruby allowed herself a satisfied smirk as they descended. From below their feet came a dull glow. It quickly grew until it was nigh on blinding to them after so long in the dark. The elevator shaft walls transitioned from the rough cut rock to a steel lining as all the while, the light grew all the more intense.

Ruby steeled herself and drew her scythe, still in its compact form, as the elevator began to slow to its stop. Around her, her teammates drew their weapons and loaded what limited ammunition they had brought with them. They were stepping into unknown territory now and had gone off the grid completely.

Horror scenarios flashed through their minds of the doors opening out to a hail of gunfire and smoke. Even with a combination of their aura and combat abilities, such an event would spell their doom with an unavoidable certainty. It didn't bear thinking about. Yet all the same, Ruby's finger hovered over the extension switch on her weapon so that she could draw it at a moment's notice. At the very least, she thought, she would come out fighting to the last.

* * *

Jaune's nerves had practically frayed into non-existence. His eyes ached with the strain of having stared at nought but the map for the past hour. His mind had been working overtime, frantically trying to come up with a plan for when they finally arrived at the installation. But every time he thought he had something, the answers always eluded him. He felt the effects of fatigue weighing heavily upon him. His eyes burned and his mind felt sluggish.

His biggest problem was that ultimately, he simply didn't have enough information to go on and charging into the middle of an active military base wherein all of the soldiers were armed to the teeth was a terrible idea at best and suicidal at its worst.

Perhaps even worse that his lack of a plan was the fact that he knew team RWBY wouldn't wait for them all to regroup before advancing onwards. It had been the plan from the start since all of them knew that a smaller team of four would have a much easier time of breaking in undetected than if all eight of them tried to at once. But that fact wasn't really the most reassuring, especially when considering the possibility of something going wrong and being too far away to help them out. He was left with no other options than trusting in RWBY's abilities and the countless prayers he had made. After all, it wasn't exactly like he was in a position to change anything.

They came upon the base a little over an hour after they had set off. Ducking behind a pile of rubble that had seemingly once been an office block, they peered out at their target. The first glimmer of light in the predawn was beginning to show, changing the sky from an inky black to a dark grey. Looking out, they could just about discern the outline of the compound wall. Any observations were limited by the wall obscuring the buildings behind it leaving him with a growing sense of frustration. Turning away, he groaned and slumped back amidst his teammates; all of whom looked at him expectantly.

"Well… there's definitely _something_ there…" He whispered "It looks like they have a wall and maybe a few watch towers along it. There might be a couple of radio masts and I can just about see a few roofs but I can't really tell any more than that. If it wasn't for the fact that it's in the middle of a dead city, I'd say it looked like a pretty standard military base."

"It's brave of them to not use any lighting, especially since most Grimm are at their strongest in the dark. They have clearly gone to great lengths to avoid detection from the air, even at a greater risk of attack from the Grimm." Ren stated, his eyes still staring out at the compound.

"I agree, ordinarily the whole area would be completely illuminated so that the defenders can see the enemy long before they get the chance to get within striking distance of the walls. But here they seem completely oblivious to it." Pyrrha continued.

"Well duh, it's a super-secret government base hiding all the most secret documents that they don't want people finding out about. It's not like they're going to light the whole thing up like a Dustmas tree." Nora concluded, holding up a finger and waggling it in a matter-of-fact manner.

"And… since they are supplied directly by the Council, it's not beyond the realms of possibility that the soldiers stationed here would have an ample supply of night-vision equipment. That would certainly explain how they managed to keep the camp secure for so long despite not having any lighting to speak of." Ren said.

"Well that completely rules out any kind of sneak approach while it's still dark. We would be spotted before we got even three feet." Jaune groaned. The whole things seemed pretty much air tight, much to his dismay.

Really, their dilemma could be condensed down into three broad issues. First among them was the sheer distance between them and the compound itself, at first guess Jaune estimated the gap to measure at about thirty metres. Then there was the fact that neither he, nor his team could see very well in the dark and their enemy likely had access to night-vision equipment. Thirdly was the problem that even if they managed to bypass problems one and two, they were still more than likely outnumbered to an unknown degree by trained soldiers that were armed to the teeth.

Before any of them could offer even the most basic outline of a plan, a brilliant ball of flame leapt up behind the wall with an earth shaking bang as the ammunition dump exploded. Shards of ice, jets of flame and bolts of electricity shot out in all directions lancing through anything in their path. The whole compound was bathed in an eerie, ruddy glow as the fire settled into an even burn and sent a thick smoke column billowing up into the pre-dawn sky. The occasional secondary explosion sounded out as the fire found its way to small pockets of the camp's ammunitions dump that had been miraculously untouched by the initial blast.

Once the initial shock had dissipated, an intense feeling of dread settled in Jaune's gut as he realised that team RWBY were likely in the camp still. Without pausing to think of his own safety and taking advantage of the chaos, he broke cover and set off at a dead sprint across to the wall.

* * *

"Well Yang! Let it never be said that you don't have a flair for the theatrical!" Weiss shouted above the din, frantically patting at the hem of her skirt to put out the few flames that had caught along the edges of the fabric. Her efforts were successful, but the combat skirt was still ruined.

If Yang had heard the heiress' sarcastic remarks then she didn't show it. She stood stock still, wreathed in flame in the centre of the blast zone. Her eyes were a brilliant crimson and embers smouldered within the depths of her golden locks. All around her, charred debris still fell like rain as the blasted remains of ammunition boxes and dust crates returned to earth.

"If they didn't know we were here, then they definitely do now!" Ruby yelled in a shrill tone in between coughing fits. She was doubled over and her hands were clamped defensively around a single data drive; the only evidence that the mission had been an overall success.

Things had gone relatively smoothly after the elevator had come to a stop. They had emerged into a brightly lit hallway that was entirely panelled in white metal. Much to their relief, they hadn't encountered a welcoming committee. With it being such a late hour, there was nobody up and about that could have caught them.

However, the underground complex had proven far more expansive than they had anticipated and navigating through the labyrinth of tunnels was far more time consuming than they could afford. Directions often fell more to luck than judgement but in the end and seemingly by the will of the universe, they stumbled upon a main data store.

It was a cavernous room lined with a number of databanks that stretched from the floor right up to the ceiling and riddled with blinking lights of every different colour. Unfortunately, a thick steel vault door had stood between the four of them and their prize. That was where their troubles first began.

Seeing no-other option and not wanting to risk blasting the door in such a confined space, they had been left with no other option that to rely on Yang and her particular… skills. After Yang had removed the vault's door from its hinges, an automated alarm had sounded with the accompanying red lights throughout the facility. Knowing that their time was fast running out, they had utilised the disk drive given to them by Ozpin to copy the files over from the vault's databanks.

No sooner had they finished than the first response team had arrived with weapons poised. The fight had been short lived by intense beyond compare. Bullets had riddled the walls and databanks, ricocheting around off of the steel walls. Pressing the attack in a desperate bid to avoid being penned in, they had dispatched the soldiers in relatively short order; though not without taking a substantial hit to their aura reserves first and converting a large portion of the data stores into scrap.

Things had only gotten worse from there as the automated security systems came online and hounded them the whole way back to the elevator with turrets, shielding and of course additional soldiers. By the time they crammed into the elevator again, the four of them had all but expended what remained of their supplies. Frantically punching the button on the control panel they rode the elevator back to the surface, thankful that the guards below hadn't had the forethought to cut all power to it.

Once back on the surface and knowing that it was only a matter of time until news of their intrusion spread and brought the garrison running, Yang had ordered a hasty retreat from the elevator entrance before dashing towards the base's ammo dump. It was only seconds later that it exploded, sending a wall of flame out in all directions and severely scorching both the ground and nearby buildings. The explosion was ultimately as violent as it was brief, collapsing the nearest building walls and completely destroying the concrete elevator housing.

Regrouping with the others, they set about making their exit from the compound. Naturally by now the whole base had come to life. What seemed like hundreds of personnel frantically sprinted about in an effort to bring the fires under control. Many found themselves coughing violently because of the thick blanket of smoke sitting over the compound. They seemed blissfully unaware through their confusion that the base was even under attack, and team RWBY took full advantage of it.

Largely ignored and concealed by the thick smoke, they fought their way through across the landing pad over towards the tower by which they had first entered the camp. As they closed to within the last ten metres, the whole ground shook and the wall seemed to crack and give under extraordinary pressure. A huge plume of bright pink smoke, turned ruddy by the light of the fires, burst through the newly formed gap in the wall as huge chunks of debris flew off in all directions.

Realising the very real risk of being hit by the debris, team RWBY dived out of the way, hitting the deck and frantically covering their heads to avoid any potentially lethal shards that might cause them damage. The battles with the security systems and guards forces had left them with severely depleted aura reserves, painfully close to failing at any given moment. Shaken by the sudden nature of the explosion, and more than a little winded; Ruby looked up from the ground and felt relief wash over her. Stood in the breach in the wall were four individuals that she knew well. Standing over her with weapons drawn, and hard looks set on their faces were team JNPR.

"What are you…?" Ruby began to say before Pyrrha cut her off mid-sentence.

"No time for that! We can explain later, right now we need to put some distance between us and this place before they manage to figure out what happened!"

Nodding, Ruby and her team climbed to their feet and hastily dashed through the wall and out into the long-dead city beyond. One by one, team JNPR followed until Nora was the last one remaining. Cocking her grenade launcher one final time, she aligned the sights with the radio antennae, somehow left unscathed by both the initial explosion and subsequent fires. With a malicious grin on her face she pulled the trigger and sent a round sailing over the compound and straight into the array. Metal screeched and groaned as it was blown to pieces, collapsing in a pile of bent and twisted steel. Satisfied with her work, Nora turned and ran after the others.

Ruby led the way with a frown set on her face. The trail of destruction that she and her team had left behind was not what she had hoped for. More than anything she fervently wished that the staff in the underground complex would manage to escape one way or another. She didn't regret their actions, they were necessary given what was ultimately at stake; though that wasn't to say that she was entirely happy in the knowledge.

Shaking such thoughts from her mind she concentrated on the positive; they had completed their objective and hadn't lost anyone in the process, though whether by luck or judgement was still a subject open for debate. Slipping the data drive into one of the pouches at her waist, she ran ceaselessly alongside her friends. They may have gotten through with the difficult part of their mission, but now they had a new problem to deal with and with only a matter of time until a whole camp-load of soldiers were on their tail, it may yet have turned out to be the most dangerous task of all; for now, they had to make good their escape…

* * *

A **nd that is that. I really do apologise for the delay in releases. Ive had some real trouble getting this chapter right and must have redrafted it about three times. I have a couple ready to go after this one but it will take a little while to get them up to scratch and redrafted properly. Regardless, I hope that you all enjoyed this chapter. If you did, please do drop me a review and let me know what you thought of it. Favourite and follow if you haven't already, and as always thank you so so much for reading.**

 **I have been TheFlagshipArkos and I'll see you all in the next chapter.**


	12. Through Fire and Flame

" _ **The desire to survive, endure and protect those for whom you care is a power unrivalled." – Anonymous**_

* * *

Ruby felt her lungs burn and her legs ache more and more with each step. They had been running flat out for the best part of the night without a moment's pause or respite. Night had long since given way to day as the morning sun had begun to rise over the ruined city. They were grateful for the newfound light of day in so far as it helped limit the amount that they stumbled or tripped, but as helpful as it was to them, there was no denying that their pursuers would find it just as useful.

They had first noticed them a mere half hour after the eight of them had fled the military base the night before. It had not taken long for the soldiers to mobilise after dealing with the fires that Ruby and her friends had left as a parting gift. The soldiers had yet to come into view but their harsh shouts were ever present as they ran and perhaps even worse, it seemed that they were closing the distance. The teenagers had quickly realised that this had promptly becoming a race to the finish, with the loser paying with their life.

Yet no matter how hard they pushed themselves, the reality was simple; they had been awake for what was rapidly approaching twenty four hours. Their last meal was at least twelve hours previous and they were only human. Ultimately, they were doomed to flag and fail eventually and with all the factors combined, it seemed a miracle that they hadn't already collapsed from the herculean exertion that they had gone through.

Casting her eyes around to her friends, Ruby didn't have to look hard to notice the signs of exhaustion. Their feet practically dragged with each step and their shoulders hung limply at their sides. The weight of their equipment had only grown with each passing mile until they felt as though they were made of solid lead. Even her beloved Crescent Rose had become such a tremendous burden that she wanted little more than to be rid of.

Yet onwards they pushed, much to Ruby's amazement. Every time she thought that they may have hit their limit, her friends would dig deep and pull another ounce of strength to bring them back into the fight and keep them running. Silver eyes darted to the digital map on her scroll and back to the road ahead. Progress was slow, but they were getting ever closer to the end; the rendezvous point was growing ever closer with each step. Before long, the ordeal would be over. They just had to keep pushing a little longer.

And push they did, all through the morning and well into the afternoon. Sweat coated their limbs and their breaths came as little more than ragged gasps. Conscious effort had long since ceased in all of them, they now ran on instinct alone, allowing their bodies to move without command whilst their waking thoughts turned inwards and away from the hell which they each had come to exist in. Their aura reserves had been reduced to nil to keep their bodies functioning and by now blisters coated their feet and cramps plagued them terribly. Their eyes had taken on the expression of the dead and as they ran, they stared sightlessly ahead as though expecting their salvation to crest the horizon from one of the many side streets that they passed.

It was twelve hours after their attack on the military base that they turned onto the final street. Even as they ran, the sound of turbines began to fill the air. It grew from a subtle hum into a thunderous roar. One last check of the map confirmed their position and all that remained for them to do was wait and pray that the pursuers didn't catch up to them before the extraction craft arrived.

With hands that trembled uncontrollably with fatigue, Ruby sent activated the final signal for the aircraft to home in on. Once done, she saw little more to do but gather what pitiful strength still remained in her tiny body. She unfurled her signature weapon and leant upon its haft for support.

In what little time they had, Weiss made the rounds and passed around the meagre amount that remained of their rations. It was a pathetic supply and it lacked the substance to restore their energy to them in the slightest, but its impact on their spirits was incredible. They were just glad to be able to put some food in their bellies at last after so long going without and for that much at least, they were grateful.

Once the food was gone, they were left with no option other than waiting around for the aircraft to arrive; knowing that if it came to a fight that none of them would last long in their current condition. It was a grim state of affairs but not one which they had the power to resolve. They had burned the candle at both ends and were sure to pay the price for it unless help arrived soon.

Much to their relief, the aircraft came into view just a few minutes later. There were three of them flying low along a wide street straight for them. As they closed to within the final hundred metres, they flared up and drew into a hover. The side doors flew open and one of the aircrew beckoned them over with frantic gestures.

The eight of them didn't need to be told twice as they hobbled over, fast as their exhausted bodies could carry them. The crewman practically hauled them up and into the aircraft by the scruff of their necks, seemingly aware of the dire need for haste. He practically threw them into the various nooks amongst the cargo with a degree of practiced ease.

Ruby truly believed that the bulkhead she sat against was the most comfortable thing that she had ever experienced in her life up until that point. Almost immediately after arriving there, she felt her muscles give out. They trembled uncontrollably but no matter how hard she tried, she simply couldn't move an inch. While this may have instilled a sense of panic in most, all that Ruby felt was a fuzzy sense of calm as the full weight of her exhaustion hit her and swarmed her mind like a thick blanket, slowing her thoughts.

Scanning around her, she saw similar expressions on the faces of her friends. All traces of fear had seemingly vanished from their minds under the thick fog of fatigue. As the turbines roared, and the craft began to lift away from the ground again, Ruby watched through the open doors as the world fell away. It was hard for her to even remember why it was that they were running in the first place.

That was until a particularly sharp reminder brought her flying back into reality. The aircraft jerked violently in a bank to the port side, jolting her against the bulkhead. As it did, her eyes caught sight of a trail of smoke shooting past the doors, followed by a harsh screeching sound. A second passed, before the deafening report of an explosion sounded off away and behind them. The engines of the aircraft roared ever louder as the pilot threw the controls against their stops. Through the doors Ruby saw the other two craft draw level and as they pulled away from the city she allowed herself to believe that they had gotten away.

Then the aircraft to their left exploded. The familiar scream echoed just a split second before the explosion. In the last moment, she could swear that she saw the look on the pilot's face as he cried out in terror. The ball of flame engulfed the whole craft as it broke up and began plummeting back to the ground.

Chunks of torn steel shot out from the destroyed craft in a hail of deadly shrapnel. All around she could hear them striking the hull of their own aircraft, and in some cases she could see where they tore through. She threw her arms up around her head almost instinctively and prayed that they would miss, and leave them unharmed.

She heard a noticeable change in the pitch of the engines as the ringing in her eyes died away again. Where the engines normally gave out a smooth high pitched roar, something had gone very wrong indeed. Off to her left, the very same side that the downed aircraft had been on, the sound of the turbine had become a grating and juddering sound similar to the scraping of steel on steel. The roar had wound down into a mere whimper compared to its former self, and the whole aircraft had taken on a severe list. It didn't take a genius to work out that the engine had taken a hit in the blast and was badly damaged.

"Is everyone okay?" The flight technician cried out, clumsily making his way around to check on the passengers.

Ruby nodded weakly to him as he passed her. She may not have been harmed physically, but she was anything except okay. Her heart was pounding and her adrenaline pumping uncontrollably, her nerves were frayed past the point of no return and she just wanted to go home.

"That should be the last one! We must have moved out of range by now." He shouted again, seemingly to offer them some reassurance. But the look in his eye told Ruby that it was all a front and that they were anything but safe.

Although when no more missiles sailed up and past them, Ruby allowed herself to relax a little. Perhaps that was all that had been salvageable from the ammo dump once Yang had blown it sky high? That was all she could hope for.

* * *

They flew on for a fair while with their damaged engine, for how long exactly Ruby couldn't be sure. A minute or an hour, Ruby didn't know. All understanding of time was lost to her now. But when the city had passed them by and been replaced by the sight of rolling green fields, she knew that they were in the clear. That was when the engine finally gave out and coughed its last. It sputtered a few more times but never returned to life. Straining the one remaining engine, the pilot guided them lower and prepared for an emergency landing.

It was rough, and much of the fuselage buckled and bent under the stress, but otherwise they landed intact. The teenagers staggered to their feet and managed to disembark from the aircraft without too much trouble. It was not a graceful process, but they managed. It was only then that the full impact of the craft's damage became apparent.

The port side engine was practically torn to shreds, its casing riddled with holes made by the exploding debris. Thick smoke poured through the holes in the engine and billowed off towards the sky. Looking at the damage, it was a miracle that the engine hadn't broken free or burst into flame. Stepping over to the craft, Ruby placed a hand against its fuselage and offered a silent feeling of gratitude.

It was then that she noticed the grass underneath it stained a bright red. Further investigation identified it as blood dripping from the side door of the craft. It didn't take long to identify the source of it all. Laying there in the cargo compartment slumped against the hull was the flight technician.

Hurriedly, Ruby called out the the remaining crewmen for help and climbed back on board. She dashed over to the technician as fast as her fatigued body could manage, unfeeling as blood covered both her hands and much of her clothes. When she arrived by his side, it quickly became apparent that she needn't have bothered.

His complexion was pallid and his eyes stared sightlessly into the distance. His left hand was clasped weakly around the wound that had killed him. Blood coated his hands, already browning from its exposure to the air. Ruby tried to swallow past the lump in her throat but found her mouth uncomfortably dry. With her hands trembling, she tentatively lifted his hand away from the wound and took a look at it.

Blood stained his flight suit around the site of a perfect tear. Pulling at the fabric, she uncovered a long and clean cut just under where his ribcage began. It seemed like a wound that should have been manageable, but Ruby knew that looks could be deceiving. It appeared that the wound was caused by a piece of flying shrapnel from the explosion.

Her mind flashed back to the moments after as the flight technician had staggered around the compartment of their craft to make sure that the eight teenagers were unharmed. Now that she thought about it, he did have a particularly strained look on his face at the time, although she had simply attributed it to the stresses of the situation at the time. Now she realised that he must have been ignoring his own injury in order to ensure that they were fine. It was his final act to ensure the overall success of the operation, one last piece of heroism by one of the little guys.

Reaching out, Ruby tentatively probed the wound. She didn't know quite why, but a morbid sense of curiosity drove her on. Probing her fingers into the wound, she reached up to the first joint of her fingers before they met with something solid and jagged. Manoeuvring her fingers around she clasped it and gently pulled it out, as though afraid to cause additional pain to the dead hero.

What she pulled out from the wound was a fragment of steel roughly triangular and around three and a half inches in length with jagged and torn edges. She looked at it with unfeeling eyes. It struck her as unfair that something so small could kill a person. She was staring at it so intently that at first, she didn't notice the tears streaming down her cheeks. They dropped from her chin and landed on the ground of the cabin, only to intermingle with the blood pooled there. She reached out and gently closed his eyes before cradling the shard of metal to her chest and weeping silently.

That was how the others found her; kneeling beside the body of a dead man with tears running freely down her cheeks and cradling a piece of shrapnel as though it were the most precious thing in the world. Yang was the first to approach her, wrapping an arm around her younger sister and silently shepherding her away.

"H-he didn't say anything… he didn't tell us he was hurt… he just made sure we were all okay without a word, why didn't he let us help him?" The little rose asked weakly.

"I don't know sis, he probably just didn't want to worry us. Whatever his reasons were, he put our lives above his own. He must have known what was riding on this and thrown his lot in with it." Yang replied, struggling to keep her voice level.

Once gone, the remaining crewmen wrapped their comrade up in a crude shroud made from material scrounged from within the aircraft. Lifting him, they carried him away from the crash site and laid him on the grass beside the others before returning to the craft. The pilot conducted a final check and fired a flare into the compartment of the aircraft. The meagre contents of the craft soon caught and before long the whole craft was engulfed by the hungry flames. As they watched it burn, the last remaining bullhead approached and landed. Its doors were opened and the teenagers ushered inside.

With morose expressions on their faces, the pilot and co-pilot lifted their comrade up and loaded him on-board with the help of Jaune and Pyrrha. Ruby watched the whole process in complete silence until at last the pilot noticed her expression and knelt down beside her even as the craft lifted off.

"We'll get him back to Vale and he'll get a proper burial I promise." He said to her over the sound of the engines. The tone of his voice was harsh and cutting, as though he blamed the eight of them for what had happened, but the tender look in his eyes seemed to suggest otherwise.

"W-what was his name?" Ruby asked as fresh tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Kirk. His name was Kirk Harndall." The pilot answered, turning away and making his way over to join his fellow crewman without another word.

The lone bullhead flew onwards into the afternoon sky, pulling an aura of sadness with it. Behind them, the flaming bullhead's fuel reserves caught light and the craft exploded in a brilliant bloom of flames and smoke; almost as though it were a final send off for the flight crew that had been killed as a part of the escape. Ruby played the name she had been given over in her head until it was deeply ingrained in her memory. In the silence of the compartment, she vowed to never forget it no matter what happened. Little did she know that his name would soon be a part of a list much longer than she could possibly have anticipated.

* * *

The skies had long since grown dark again when their aircraft touched down at Beacon academy. The flight had been a long one, but Jaune had been unable to close his eyes for more than a few minutes. Every time he tried, he saw the aircraft exploding again and again in vivid detail as if it were burned into his memory irreversibly. Pyrrha had tried her best to comfort him, but she had ultimately fallen asleep beside him with her head resting on his shoulder.

Large screens had been set up around the landing area under the guise of maintenance works being conducted. It was behind those screens that the lone bullhead finally touched down, just a short ways from a welcoming committee comprised of four people.

. The side doors opened just as the final whimper of the engines died away, and from within the compartment emerged the crew carrying their dead. Behind them followed the eight teenagers who paid their final respects to flight technician Kirk Harndall before shuffling over towards the small cluster of individuals waiting to receive them.

"We sent three aircraft to collect you…" a woman stated in a shocked tone as the eight teenagers and the accompanying flight crew approached. She had piercing violet eyes and supported herself on a pair of crutches to keep weight off of a heavily bandaged foot. She was a woman that looked familiar to Jaune, but he didn't recall ever having actually met her.

"I regret to report that we came under rocket fire when we arrived, councilwoman Saunders. Craft three was his and destroyed with all of her crew on-board. Shrapnel from the explosion caused irreparable damage to the port side engine of craft two but we managed to put her down safely, although flight technician Harndall was killed by flying debris also, that's him under the shroud there. Both I and my co-pilot along with the VIPs were transferred to craft three for the remainder of the journey and I am glad to report that all remaining crew as well as VIPs are alive and well and they do have the package intact." The pilot of their original aircraft reported.

"Very good, Captain. You and your men are dismissed, please avail yourselves of the facilities here at Beacon and get some hot food at the dining hall, you have earned it. Do not worry about your comrade. He shall be treated with the utmost respect I can assure you. We shall make arrangements for his remains to be transferred to his family." Ozpin said with a sense of finality. His expression was professional, though his eyes spoke of the regret he felt at having sent those men to their deaths. "One last thing Captain, I would appreciate it if both you and your men never spoke about your mission tonight, at least not until the coming events have resolved themselves. Then, I assure you, the heroism of your comrades will be told for all to hear."

The captain looked at the professor with an unwavering look before he offered a sharp salute and led his men off towards the main school buildings to get some food. Ozpin watched them go with a contemplative expression on his face before turning his attention back to the eight exhausted teenagers in front of him. He noted sympathetically that they were struggling to even stand up.

"Oz, I know you want to hear what they've got to say but they can barely stand. Let's get them inside to your office and get them a proper meal before they tell us what happened." Qrow's said, his gravelly voice catching the whole group unawares from where he stood in the shadows a few feet away.

"I think we can accommodate that request at least, especially after what they have achieved these past few days." Goodwitch replied.

* * *

They were led across campus until they stood directly at the foot of Ozpin's tower. Up above them, the giant emerald gleamed in the pale moonlight. They were ushered into the tower and led into the elevator waiting at the end of the foyer. The ride to the top only took a few moments, but to the teenagers it seemed like an eternity. The very mention of the prospect of a proper meal was something that had set their stomachs rumbling away.

Once the elevator reached its stop, the doors slid silently open and revealed the same old office that they knew. It was different to how Ozpin usually had it arranged. The small tables and comfortable chairs had been moved away to the sides in order to allow for a long and sleek looking banquet table to be set up in their place. Places were already laid out and a number of large silverware trays sat in the middle, covered so as to retain their heat.

Both teams hastily took their places at the table, trying to make their headlong dash seem a little more like an eager walk. Once seated, they waited impatiently for the others to take their seats at the table before finally digging in. The spread laid on for them was grand fare indeed, and it was clear that the meal had been especially prepared for them. There was a roasted turkey that seemed almost as big a Ruby, coupled with mountains of roasted vegetables of every form imaginable. Gravy flowed like water from the large serving jug as the eight of them attacked the food set out for them.

The adults in the room plated themselves up a modest amount of food each. They each sat in silence as they ate, not wanting to disturb the teenagers until their hunger was completely sated. At the head of the table, Ozpin forwent food altogether. Instead the old professor simply drank the contents of his ever present coffee mug and assessed each of his students with a calculated look.

Nearly an hour after they had sat down, the last of the students finally set down their knife and fork. Of the feast that had been laid out, only the inedible parts remained. For each of the teenagers, it had been a heaven's bounty that had helped to alleviate the stresses of the last few days. To Jaune, it seemed that there was nothing that couldn't be fixed by the application of a good meal. He felt as if the past couple of days were but a distant memory and that all was right with the world.

When at last the time came for them to recount their mission for the assembled group, it was Jaune who took the lead. He spoke of their landing and regrouping, of their encounter with the Geist in the park and Weiss' deduction of the likely location for the base. The professors, huntsman and councilwoman sat in silence the whole while, listening intently to the whole tale. No-one interrupted the blonde as he spoke, save for on the rare occasion that the others would raise a detail that he had omitted.

When he reached the point at which they had split up, Blake took over the story. She described in-detail the manner in which they had surveyed and infiltrated the base. It was clear that the faunus was far from comfortable in speaking aloud to so many people at once, but she was the only one who could tell the story and as far as Jaune was concerned she did an amicable job of it.

When at last she finished telling of their rapid flight and subsequent escape aboard the bullheads, Blake sat back down again and silence settled over the room. The four adults sat in quiet contemplation for a long while as they digested what they had heard.

"It would seem that you have had quite the adventure over the past few days." The woman with violet eyes said in a voice that seemed to exude admiration. The eight teenagers all looked at her with blank and unrecognising expressions.

"Ah, yes. You haven't yet been introduced. Team RWBY, JNPR, allow me to introduce councilwoman Eliza Saunders. She is my contact within the Vale council and the one responsible for getting us the information on the Vault's location. In a way, you could say that she was the lynchpin of the whole operation." Ozpin explained, introducing his colleague.

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you all. Ozpin has spoken very highly of you, both as people as well as in terms of your abilities. I'm glad to say that you have exceeded any expectations I had for you."

She was quite attractive, Jaune thought. Her smile was disarming, and left Jaune feeling inexplicably at ease. He looked at her with soft eyes, until he noticed the daggers that Pyrrha was shooting him out of the corner of her eye. Clearing his throat his turned to Ozpin.

"It was a nightmare and we were lucky to get out in one piece. Others… well, they weren't so lucky. If we have done a good job in holding up our end of the deal then great, but I just hope it was worth the cost." Jaune stated flatly.

"Yes, and I think it's high time that we find out just how successful this mission was, wouldn't you agree? If you could hand over the data drive please Miss Rose?" Ozpin agreed, holding out a hand towards the little rose.

Ruby reached into a pouch at her belt and held out the data drive towards the professor. All eyes in the room were fixed upon the tiny object that she held in her hand, marvelling that something so small could be so important as to mean the future of the world for all living things.

Ozpin seemed to take pause for a moment before reaching out and taking the drive from her. Laying his scroll on the table he plugged the drive in and waited for the system to access the files. The few seconds that it took for the system to work through the data that they had retrieved were agonising, and the impatience of the teenagers was showing. They had the hope that the contents of the drive would spell the end of the nightmare for all of them and show them some kind of miracle fix for the impending doom… But they were wrong.

When the holographic display opened up for all of them to see, there was stunned silence all around. Ruby stared at the writing in complete and utter disbelief. Stammering as she tried to form words that expressed the feeling inside, she uttered only one simple sentence.

"I-It can't be true… why?"

* * *

 **And for you all, the conclusion to the Vault arc but more questions are yet to be answered. Just what is it that surprised the little leader and what will that mean for the whole gang? Did they find the source of the Maidens' power, or their Achilles' heel? We will have to find out next time! I truly hope that you enjoyed the chapter. I do not know when the next one will be but the aim is to have it ready soon(ish). If you enjoyed this and haven't yet, please do follow and favourite to never miss an update. Don't forget to drop a review and let me know what you thought, for better or worse and as always;**

 **I will see you all in the next chapter.**


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